Harry Potter and the Slytherin Ice Queen
by Hugo L.R. Reed
Summary: After Harry's name is released from the Goblet of Fire, only Hermione seems to believe he didn't enter himself, that is until a chance meeting one day by the great lake. What will become of a Gryffindor and Slytherin trying to be friends with each other? Harry/Daphne. Completed.
1. Daphne Greengrass

A/N: I am writing this because I'm suffering writer's block from one of my original works, and Harry/Daphne is a crack pairing I rather like. I honestly have no huge ambitions for this fic and I don't actually know if I'll ever properly finish it, but all the same I hope you're able to enjoy it.

Harry Potter and the Slytherin Ice Queen:

By: Hugo L.R. Reed

Chapter 1: Daphne Greengrass

Harry sighed and looked over the black lake of Hogwarts towards the Durmstrang ship. It hadn't even been a full twenty-four hours since his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire, and it seemed as if no one, save Hermione, believed that he hadn't entered himself in the tournament. In a small way, he was somewhat used being the school pariah. During his second year, everyone had been accusing him of being the Heir of Slytherin just because he could talk to snakes.

The students at Hogwarts weren't exactly the most accepting bunch of people in the world. Still, the worst of it was just some mocking jabs or a few glares that got sent his way, which was nothing he hadn't been through before. Compared to his childhood with the Dursleys, even his worst school day was a vacation.

What had hurt far more was when Ron had turned on him. A small part of him had mentally accepted that his friends always could turn on him, and prepared as much as he could for the possibility. Still, after everything he and Ron had been through, it hurt to know that he refused to believe Harry.

He was still running the redhead's words through his mind over and over again.

 _It's ok you know? You can tell me the truth. If you don't want everyone else to know, fine. But, I don't know why you're bothering to lie._

"I never wanted to be in this stupid tournament," he growled aloud, as if Ron could possibly hear him. "Now everyone at Hogwarts thinks I'm barking again."

He closed his eyes and leaned back against a tree. He often came here when he needed to think and couldn't fly his firebolt. What he really wanted to do was talk to Sirius, but his godfather was still in hiding as far as Harry knew. Honestly he wanted to talk to someone... anyone, and try to vent a little, but the only person currently talking to him was Hermione, and he didn't like setting her up to be a target for the rest of the school.

"You know," said a soft voice from his right. "They say that talking to yourself _is_ the first sign of madness."

Harry spun around and quickly pulled out his wand, his first spell already on his lips. When he saw who had spoken, he was immediately halted as if he'd been hit with a stunning spell. Staring at him, with her head slightly cocked to one side, was Daphne Greengrass. She was a Slytherin in his year and while they'd never really talked much, he remembered that Hermione had mentioned that Greengrass usually did about as well in class as she did.

"A bit jumpy, aren't we?" she asked, smoothly nodding towards his wand.

He took a split-second to get a better look at her and noticed that while she was clearly focused on him, she didn't appear to be hostile. She didn't have a wand out, and if she _had_ meant to curse him, she certainly could've done so a moment ago. He sheepishly put his wand away and looked at his trainers.

"Sorry about that," he said softly. "You caught me off-guard."

"I?" she said, a slight mocking air to her tone. "I caught the great wizard Harry Potter by surprise? Now that is high praise."

Harry felt his anger build at her words, but forced himself to remain calm. As he recalled, Daphne wasn't part of Malfoy's clique. So why was she talking to him? He knew more about her through reputation than any actual interaction. She was often called the Ice Queen, though he wasn't sure exactly why, although it had something to do with the fact that she didn't date anyone.

 _Can't exactly judge her at all for that one,_ he thought, thinking of his own considerable gap in any sort of romantic relationship.

She was fairly pretty, with pale blonde hair and a slender frame. She stood only an inch or so taller than he was, which surprised him slightly because he'd always been fairly short for his age. He noticed her eyes were sky blue, and though her face was impassive, her gaze was focused intently on him.

"It's Daphne, right?" he said, trying to be cordial.

"I'm surprised you remembered my name, Potter. Rumor around the Slytherin common room is that you consider yourself far above any snake."

Harry stared at her, slightly confused. It didn't _feel_ like she was making fun of him, exactly, but she did have a slightly humorous tone to her words.

"Well, you can't always believe what you hear these days," he said, trying to match her way of speaking as much as he could.

It was a very odd exchange for him. He was used to speaking bluntly and was often very clear with his intent. Daphne was… different. It wasn't that she was mocking him or what he was saying, but she had a small smirk that indicated that _something_ was funny.

"No, I suppose not, especially where you're concerned," she said, sitting at the base of the tree with her legs to one side. "You do seem to turn the world a bit wherever you step, Potter."

"I don't do it on purpose!" he said, feeling a little hot under the collar. "And I didn't enter myself in the tournament!"

"Oh," she said, closing her eyes nonchalantly. "I already knew that."

She said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You… what? You don't think I did it?" he asked, curiously.

"Of course," she said, motioning for him to sit back down. "It wouldn't make sense for you to do so. After all, your family isn't the richest in Britain or anything, but one thousand galleons wouldn't make a huge difference in your funds, I imagine. The other reward is fame and prestige and, if you'll forgive my saying so, you never have been very comfortable in the limelight. Besides, what would the tri-wizard tournament give you in recognition that you wouldn't get as the boy-who-lived?"

Harry found himself slightly floored at her words. She was, of course, completely right. Granted, he really didn't know anything much about the state of his vault at Gringotts, but the prize money held no interest for him, neither did the fame. Slowly, he sat down, and felt a huge wave of relief crash over him. At least one other person in the school believed he hadn't entered himself.

"Thank you," he said softly, leaning against the tree.

"For what?" she asked simply.

"Believing me."

"I believe in logic, Harry Potter. The facts are: you managed to get yourself wrapped up in something big year after year, but you never seem to enjoy it. If you were the sort of prat Malfoy insists you are, then yes, perhaps it would make sense for you to intentionally do such things. However, you seem to me to be far too honest and too awkward with large groups of people to behave that way. Our second year with Lockhart was more than enough to prove that."

Harry flushed slightly.

"I suppose I've never really been very subtle."

Harry wasn't exactly sure whether or not he liked Daphne. She seemed to like to talk, and she believed he wasn't an attention-seeking prat though, and as things were, that was more than enough reason to talk with her.

"I would disagree," she said again. "You're rather cryptic to me. Oh sure, others speak for you often enough, as with Lockhart, or the papers this morning. However, you say very little about yourself openly. I think I'd rather like to get to know who you are, Mr. Potter, not just as the boy-who-lived or the Hogwarts champion."

"I… you want to be friends with me?" he asked, totally confused.

"Slytherins and Gryffindors are not friends," she said simply.

"Oh," said Harry, looking at his shoes again. "Sorry… I just…"

"So," she said, as if she hadn't paused at all. "I think I will like shaking up the established order of things with you, if you would like to be friends, that is."

Harry looked up at her and saw that while her face was still stony, her eyes were shining with something he recognized: hope. He saw it because he knew what if felt like to want to be friends with someone that bad. He doubted that Daphne was quite as lonely as he had been when he first came to Hogwarts, but he remembered the years he'd spent completely alone at his aunt and uncle's house.

Daphne held out her hand to him, as if conducting a business deal. Harry considered it for a long second. Normally, he likely would've been more cautious. He would've double and triple checked to see how this Slytherin girl would betray him to Malfoy, but she hadn't done anything but talk with him so far, and his options for friendship weren't exactly very vast at the moment. Besides, she had expressed the desire to get to know him outside of all the fame.

He took her hand and smiled brightly.

"Pleased to be friends with you, on one condition."

She raised an eyebrow, and looked at him curiously.

"What condition would that be, Mr. Potter?"

"My friends call me Harry."

She smiled back, the first time he'd seen her do so as far as he could recall. Her blue eyes shown as she shook his hand. Her hand was very soft, and her grip was gentle, almost like silk in his hand.

"Well then, thank you for being my friend, Harry."

"Thank you for being my friend, Daphne."

She released his hand and checked her watch.

"We have defense with our new teacher before long. I expect I'll see you there."

"Oh, right then."

Without another word, she turned and began to head up towards the castle. He began to follow her, and as he passed the great hall, Hermione came running out to him.

"There you are! I was worried when I didn't see you. Where have you been?"

"I was… talking to a new friend," he said, smiling softly. "Actually you know her, Daphne Greengrass."

"Greengrass?" repeated Hermione, a look of surprise on her face. "Harry, are you sure? It's just… she's really closed off, you know? I don't think she'd close to anyone outside of Tracey Davis and her little sister, Astoria."

"H-how do you know all that?" he asked.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly Harry, have you paid any attention to anyone in our year that isn't a Gryffindor?"

"I… actually I suppose not," he admitted. "Still, can always change that now, can't I?"

"I suppose," she said as they walked up the grand staircase towards the defense against the dark arts classroom. "I hope Ron isn't too upset. He's never liked Slytherins much."

"Speaking of him, does he still think I put my own name in the damn goblet?" Harry asked, unable to keep the sour tone from his voice.

"Well," said Hermione slowly. "No… at least I don't think he does, _really._ "

"What does that mean, not really?"

"Harry… Ron's jealous!"

"Jealous of what? He wants to die in a tournament with students three years his senior, does he?"

"No," she said, patiently, making Harry want to kick himself. "You have to admit, Harry, you always do end up being the center of things—Not on purpose! I know. Still, Ron's always wanted to be famous and rich, and I think this just sort of… set him off, you know?"

Harry growled again.

"That is… really, really stupid!" he said. "I get he's jealous but how can he let that come between us? I mean, he's supposed to be my best mate and everything!"

"Well," she said sadly. "I won't say he's not being a bit of a prat about it, but you know he doesn't really believe you would enter yourself Harry, he knows you too well. He'll come around, I think. It just… takes him a while."

Harry shrugged.

"We'll see," he said.

"All the same, I'm actually glad you made friends with someone outside our house, Harry. Besides, if anyone could use a friend like you, it's her. She's so closed off that I think you'll be good for her, and maybe she can finally help you think before you jump into everything."

"I don't…" he started, and caught himself. "Well, I suppose I do. Oh well, who knows what will happen with Daphne and I? All I know is if she really wants to be friends with me, I'm willing to try something new."

Hermione beamed at him as they reached the classroom.


	2. Questions and Answers

Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

Harry groaned and felt sick as he shoved the morning's _daily prophet_ away from him in disgust. Rita Skeeter had taken his unsure noises during their "interview" and transformed them into very long and sickly sentences.

 _Yes I think of my parents often, and I know they're watching over me in the tournament, so nothing will hurt me._

 _I still cry about them sometimes—I'm not afraid to admit it._

What was far worse though, was the article had spun his friendship with Hermione and Daphne into something far worse than he could've imagined.

 _Harry has been seen frequently in the company of either Hermione Granger or Daphne Greengrass, two of the two female students at Hogwarts school. While his long-standing relationship with the muggle-born Miss Granger has been noticed by a great many people in the school, a few close sources have reported him spending time with the attractive Greengrass heir._

 _Daphne Greengrass' historically dark family has many families-as well as this reporter-questioning what motives and methods were used to ensnare the boy-who-lived. Greengrass, and her family, have been sorted into Slytherin house for generations without question. So, one must ask what the young snake has intended for the young Hogwarts champion._

From the moment it had been released, he'd had to endure several sneers and jokes from the Slytherins and even from his own house. Those who hadn't been openly against him for being entered in the tournament started to drill him about his friendship with Daphne. He saw that she was exiting the great hall, her expression impassive as ever, and got up to follow her.

He didn't know exactly how Slytherin house was, but he was sure her being ousted as associating with him would make her a target, and he was determined to help. Although, truth be told, he had no idea what he could do. Daphne quickly disappeared into an unused classroom, and Harry slipped in after her, trying not to make any extra noise.

"Hello Harry," she said, her voice slightly cheery. "Lovely picture in the prophet this morning!"

Harry sat down on one of the desks and hung his head slightly.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't know how she found out that we're friends. I swear I didn't tell her that."

"I didn't think you did," she said, softly. "Or did spending time with an older woman in a broom closet cause you to spill all your secrets?"

Over the two weeks since their meeting at the black lake, they'd only spoken in sort bursts, or occasionally worked together in potions. Still, they'd chatted softly and through a bit of conversation they'd begun to understand one another a little.

Daphne appeared cold, but he suspected it was more of a self-defense mechanism than any actual malice or cruel intent. In fact, he'd begun to understand her humor, which was outwardly dry, but was actually rather amusing once he got to know her a little.

She'd also had began to understand they way he worked, and knew when she could joke and where certain things had to be left alone. He actually respected that part of their friendship, because she would give him space when he needed it, rather than someone like Mrs. Weasley, who had a tendency to smother him a bit.

"No," said Harry, smiling at her. "Not really a big fan any woman who smells like she wears the entire perfume shop."

"Good, I was concerned you merely disliked blondes," she said, deadpan. "After all, you and Draco fight so often."

Harry actually laughed, and smiled at her.

"Daphne… thank you. I… I really needed that after this past week. I wanted to apologize though, for the article. It can't make things easy for you in your common room."

Daphne smiled her soft smile at him.

"I told you I wanted to change the established order of things, didn't I? Sure, this isn't the way I'd have done it, but I am nothing if not adaptable. Besides, I think this will end up being rather fun. Still, it's sweet of you to be worried, but I'm sure I'll be fine. Our house isn't as horrible as you might think. A few jokes and jabs will be the worst of it."

"How's Tracey and Astoria?" he asked, remembering how she'd confirmed Hermione's mentions of the two girls as her closest friends.

"Oh about the same as ever. Tracey's so distracted with all the Bulgarian students that she's barely keeping up with her homework, but at least Astoria's focused on her schooling. I think Tracey's hoping to go to the Yule Ball with one of our manly vistors."

"Oh right," he said, shaking his head slightly. "Sort of forgot that was a thing."

"Not a romantic hair on your head, is there?"

Harry rolled his eyes, good-naturedly.

"You're one to talk, Daphne, unless you're hiding a boyfriend somewhere none of us are aware of."

"Please," she said, adopting a pose of feigned arrogance that would've made Malfoy jealous. "I am a lady, and am far beyond the attention of any little boys here."

Harry laughed again and Daphne joined him. It was one of the things he liked most about their friendship, that they could laugh together. It was something that still surprised Hermione, because she insisted that Daphne was a very serious person. Harry merely reasoned that other people didn't really take the time to get to understand her.

Ok sure, she was a bit… odd, but he certainly didn't have any room to speak on that matter. He was practically the poster child for unusual.

"So, I believe we have a bit of time to waste before your first period today?" she said. "Would you like to play a game?"

"Sure, what game?" he asked, half-expecting her to pull out a chess set.

"It's rather simple. We're allowed to ask the other person any question about themselves, and that person is not permitted to lie. However, if it's too personal, you may choose to pass. If you ask the same question as the other person you must ask an addition one."

"Fair enough, as the lady here, why don't you go first?"

"Such a gentleman," she said. "What, aside from flying, is your favorite area of study at Hogwarts?"

"Hm…" Harry said, pondering the question. "I suppose I rather enjoyed defense last year… I don't know how I feel about Moody though. I also think I would like potions if it wasn't for Snape."

Daphne nodded.

"You do seem to get under his skin rather easily. I suppose there is some history with your father, the way professor Snape talks about him, though I don't know for sure."

"Dumbledore said that he and my dad were enemies at Hogwarts until my dad saved his life."

"There may be some truth to that… although I admit that version of events seems a bit… slanted to favor your father."

Harry shrugged.

"I guess I never really thought much on it."

"Hence why you were not in Slytherin."

Harry laughed at that, forcibly reminded of how the sorting hat had originally meant to place him in Slytherin house.

"Wait, what's your favorite class then?"

"Ancient Runes. It's one of the few classes truly focused around pure logic and planning. Runes make it possible to accomplish almost anything. Sure, you can't plan for everything, but there's no sense in ignoring the chance to give yourself an advantage."

Harry nodded at her words, and suddenly regretted his decision to take divination over ancient runes. He could always look into some independent study later though, he supposed.

"Alright then, why did you talk to me that day at the lake?"

Daphne smiled at this, and absent-mindedly twirled a finger through her blonde hair, a habit of hers while she was deep in thought.

"A fair question. To be honest, you rather captured my attention a while ago. Once it was clear to see you didn't parade around like many others in your station would I figured there was something more to you. Then, you openly befriended a muggle-born and a lower-class family like the Weasley's while turning down Malfoy's friendship. I wanted to talk to you and figure out how it was you were so different from others in your station, but between house divisions and the team of Gryffindors who seem to think they are your personal bodyguard, there was never a good opportunity before now."

Harry thought about his previous years at Hogwarts. If he hadn't been alone at the lake that day, it was possible he and Daphne never would've spoken, and he would never have gotten to know her. The idea chilled him slightly, because while he remained close to Hermione, he found that he was enjoying time with Daphne as well.

"Wow," he said softly. "Never thought I'd want to end up thanking the isolation from my house for something…"

"My father often says that good things can come from unpleasant circumstances. My turn, I think. Hermione has said that you come from a muggle family, what was that like?"

Harry shivered, thinking of his family.

"Not pleasant," he said simply. "Sorry, but that's something I'd rather not go into details on."

"Understandable. I would like to hear of it, but not if it makes you uncomfortable."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. I don't really like to think or talk about my… relatives much. You said before I don't act like someone of my 'station.' What do you mean by that?"

She stopped cold and looked at him, confused.

"Harry… do you know how important you are to the wizarding world? Outside of being the boy-who-lived, I mean?"

"No idea. I figured that, outside of that, I was… just Harry."

She sighed.

"That is something we will have to correct, although I'm curious as to how no one could've informed you of your position… It's strange. Still, to grossly over-simplify: the fact that you are the last remaining Potter makes your heir to the Ancient and Noble house of Potter. It's part of the elite of the wizarding world, similar to nobles in the muggle world. You have a bit of political pull once you are of-age and will be able to form alliances and other various connections with other houses. I can teach you more about the culture if you'd be willing. These are things you should know, after all."

"I'd be grateful for it… maybe after the tournament though… there's only so much I can take in one year after all, and Hermione and I are still trying to pick up whatever spell might help with the first task. I think if I try to pick up too much more, my head will explode."

Daphne shrugged and said, "Of course, you're a boy."

After a moment, he realized she was joking again.

Harry smiled at her, "Your turn then."

They continued on, back and forth until their free period was up. Harry got to understand quite a lot more about Daphne. He got to learn that her family was historically neutral and had avoided taking a side in the previous war. While he couldn't say he completely agreed, he had to admit it made sense from a purely logical standpoint. By being neutral they could avoid being made a target by either side, and wouldn't end up in a bad spot once the fighting was over.

He also learned that she was very close to her little sister, which was a little odd when he thought of the way the Weasley siblings fought all the time. Still, he reasoned that all families must be different. He also learned that while she didn't like roses, she had a fondness of daffodils, and had a particular weakness for sugar quills.

In return he told her about his life and hobbies, skipping over the Dursleys, of course. She'd gotten a good laugh when he'd mentioned that the sorting hat had wanted him in Slytherin. That had been a particularly nice moment for him, and he realized how much he really like the sound of Daphne's laughter.

It was light, but earnest and was one of the few times she completely let her mask drop, and wasn't afraid to show what she felt.

All-in-all, by the time he had to leave for Charms, he had completely forgotten about the article, and was feeling much better, something that didn't skip by Hermione.

"I figured you'd be in a right state over what that _woman_ said," she said, softly.

"I might've been," he said. "But I got to chat with Daphne and now I get to spend time with you. Also, I finally get to talk with Snuffles before long, so today's not a bad day at all. So there's some annoying press out there about me that's full of lies. Not exactly something new, is it?"

Hermione smiled at him as professor Flitwick walked into his classroom, calling out for them to quiet down in his squeaky voice.


	3. To Pass a Dragon

Chapter 3: To Pass a Dragon

Harry, Hermione and Daphne had spent much of their free time looking up spells in the library. Without knowing what the first task would be, it was impossible to know how he should prepare, so they decided to cover a lot of the basic territories of magic and taught him to think on his feet.

Daphne had actually come up with the idea of holding mock duels to help keep him on his toes, and over the course of the next two weeks, he learned to be quick and inventive with his spell work. Unsurprisingly, the blonde Slytherin was as adept as Hermione at casting spells, and with the two of them trying to catch him by surprise, he lost far more often than he won. Still, anyone could see that he was rapidly improving.

He was recovering from their most recent round and Hermione's use of the knockback jinx when the classroom door opened and Tracey Davis walked in, smiling brightly at Daphne and him.

Tracey was so unlike any other Slytherin Harry had ever met that he was frequently convinced she was actually from another house. She was joyful, boisterous and showed a particular fondness for any crude joke that made people uncomfortable. Harry, still unused to any sort of physical contact tended to blush within moments of Tracey's joking, a fact that the auburn-haired girl had picked up on, and used to tease him mercilessly.

"Hello Tracey," said Daphne, nodding.

"Sorry to interrupt your little threesome," said Tracey, sitting next to Daphne.

Harry felt himself go slightly red at her phrasing and even Hermione looked slightly abashed.

"Really?" Daphne asked her, sighing.

"You're all too easy," Tracey said, handing the three of them some food from the great hall. "The trio goes into a classroom purely to get all sweaty and somehow not a single one of you ends up even kissing someone."

"Well you'll excuse us if we aren't all trying to snog someone every minute of the day," said Daphne, being the only one of them who was used to Tracey's humor. "Any clues on what the first task might be?"

Harry eagerly bit into an apple and felt the juices from it quench his dry throat. He wasn't used to talking much, and he'd been calling out spells nonstop for nearly an hour.

"Nothing concrete," she said, sadly. "Malfoy's busy bragging that he knows what it is, but chances are he's just full of hot air. You'd think being turned into a ferret would cause him to shut up once in a while, but I swear it's only made him worse."

"Malfoy can get worse?" asked Harry, while he gasped for air. "Well the magical world is surely in true danger now."

"Daphne said you had a sense of humor," said Tracey, smiling at him broadly. "I thought she was just loopy."

Harry shrugged and stood, taking another deep pull from his water bottle, and trying to steady himself. Sirius had promised to contact him in the Gryffindor common room later, but Hagrid wanted to meet up with him first.

"Well," he said, pulling out his invisibility cloak. "I'm going to go shower and change before I meet up with Hagrid. I'll catch up with you later Hermione. Daphne, Tracey, I guess I'll see you lot in potions tomorrow?"

"Any idea what Hagrid wants to talk to you about?" asked Hermione, standing and brushing off her skirt.

"Wouldn't say," said Harry. "Hopefully he hasn't gotten a new pet."

Hermione grimaced thinking of Norbert the dragon.

* * *

Harry reached Hagrid's cabin just past eleven in the night, and knocked on the door, slipping his invisibility cloak's hood off his head. Hagrid looked down at him, smiling softly. Harry instantly felt his heart warm looking up at the giant of a man. Hagrid may have a bad habit of housing extremely dangerous creatures, but Harry always had and always would consider him to be his friend.

"Well 'ello there, Harry," said the half-giant, pulling on his large mole-skin coat. "Got somemit you'll wanna see. Best stay under that cloak now."

"Hagrid," Harry tried to say. "I really can't stay long! I have to be back in the common room before one…"

His protests fell on deaf ears as Hagrid began walking from his cabin. Harry gave up and followed the hulking figure of a man. His concern grew into irritation as Hagrid helped Madam Maxime from her carriage. There was no way he'd simply wanted to show Harry Maxime… she wasn't exactly hard to miss.

However, it appeared that what Hagrid had in store for her was the same surprise he'd spoken to Harry about, because at the point Maxime asked, "Vhere are you taking me, 'agrid?"

His curiosity winning out over his disgust at what was apparently Hagrid's date, Harry followed them into the forbidden forest. Only then did he realize there was a group of several other wizards dancing around what were, unmistakably… dragons.

Four fully-grown, fire breathing dragons.

Of course, Harry had realized dragons were a real thing since his first visit to Gringotts, but he'd never _really_ seen a fully-grown one before, and they were terrifying. Then, he realized _why_ he and Maxime where here.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he hissed softly.

He had to fight a dragon? That was suicide! Even full-fledged wizards didn't take on a proper dragon all by themselves. Even the other champions would have a horrible time doing it, let alone him! He was forcibly reminded that it was entirely possible someone had placed him in this tournament to kill him.

If that was the case, a dragon would be a great way to do it. He could practically imagine the headlines now.

 _Boy-who-lived killed in a tragic dragon fight._

Half-an-hour later, he head back up to the castle, feeling sick to his stomach. A few minutes before Sirius was supposed to show up, he collapsed into the armchair by the fire, and realized there were tears on his cheeks. This whole tournament was royally fucked up. Hermione soon came down the stairs from the girl's dormitorys and saw him sitting there.

"Harry?" she asked, seeing him curled up. "What's wrong?"

He opened his mouth to respond, and for the second time that night found himself speechless, as Sirius' head appear in the flames in the fireplace. After a long moment, he remembered that Mr. Diggory had done something similar in the Weasley's fireplace. The relief that washed over him was instantaneous and almost made him tear up again. Sirius had a way of making Harry feel… protected, like he would make sure nothing seriously hurt him.

Still, the rational part of Harry's brain knew that there was nothing Sirius could do about a dragon that would attack him on Tuesday. Still, Harry revealed everything to Sirius, and in turn Sirius told Harry that Karkaroff had once been a death eater. At that news, Hermione gasp and jumped a little.

Harry had no idea how long they talked, but when they finally stopped, the sun had started to rise over the hills, and he had some idea of how to possibly stop his dragon, although he didn't like the method. Sirius had suggested using a conjunctivitis curse and hitting it in the eyes, which would blind it.

Granted, it was nice trick to have up his sleeve, and if he found no other option, he could do it, but he was hoping they could find something else in the few days leading up to the task. When Daphne found the group them in the library the next day, she listened patiently to his explanation of the first task. To his and Hermione's surprise, she let out a huge breath and smiled at the pair of them.

"Well," said the blonde woman. "This is certainly much better than it might've been."

"I'm sorry," said Harry. "Am I thinking of some other magical beast?"

"No, you're not. But relax, you don't have to fight the thing. You just have to get past it, correct?"

"I think so," said Harry, looking at her with some confusion. "At least that's what Charlie said."

Daphne took out her wand and waved it over his head for a moment and suddenly a horribly unpleasant feeling like someone had cracked a cold egg over his head started to spread across his body.

"What was that?" he asked while Daphne smiled brightly and Hermione's eyes went wide.

"Look at yourself," said Daphne.

Harry looked down only to see that his body was invisible… well no. It weren't invisible, properly, but he could see through his own arms and chest. It was almost like his body was made of glass, and if he didn't move it was virtually impossible to see himself at all.

"What is this?" he asked, concerned.

"The disillusionment charm!" said Hermione, slapping her hand to her forehead. "Of course! Harry, you could get by the dragon without it ever seeing you. Dragons have a great sense of hearing and smell, but their sight isn't particularly good. So if we can get you to learn a spell to silence your footsteps, and teach you the disillusionment, I bet you could get past the dragon before it even realized where you'd gone."

Harry looked down at himself again.

"That's brilliant!" he said, smiling. "You're amazing, both of you!"

Hermione let out a sigh of relief as Daphne waved her wand again, bringing him back into a visible range.

"This is going to be much better than our last plan," said Hermione. "This way you won't have to face the dragon at all."

"Welcome to the Slytherin way of thinking, Hermione."

Harry stood and let out a long breath.

"Ok," he said, slowly. "I've got a few days to master two charms, and the conjunctivitis curse, just in case. That's… doable."

* * *

A few days later, Harry sat in the champions tent, nervously listen to Cedric fighting his dragon. He had warned Cedric of the beasts, thinking it was only fair, and the Hufflepuff had clearly planned something, although he was a bit lost as to exactly what the older student was doing. As Harry prepared to go face his dragon, he softly repeated the incantations he would need over and over again.

"Very clever move," he heard Ludo Bagman calling out for the crowd. "Pity it didn't work."

After a long moment, he heard the crowd cheering at the scores that the judges were doubtless providing… and then the whistle blew, and he stepped out onto the field, gathering up his courage.

The Hungarian Horntail turned and stared right at him with its huge yellow eyes. For a long second, Harry was too scared to move. After the dragon stayed put, Harry quickly took a deep breath and whispered the incantations he needed while waving his wand as Daphne and Hermione had taught him.

"And the youngest champion has disillusioned himself!" shouted Bagman, making Harry want to hex him. "A daring move, to be sure!"

He moved forward, forcibly reminded of several nights in the Dursley's home when he'd had to steal food. Then, just as now, he used many of the tricks he'd learned to be as hard to notice as possible. While his steps made no noise, he had a nasty feeling the beast _could_ still smell him.

Carefully as he could, he edged around it, freezing anytime the beast's head shifted in his direction. The crowd began to grow restless and Harry realized they truly couldn't see whatever it was he was doing. He pushed the thought aside. He wasn't here to put on a show, just to stay alive. Let the proper champions entertain the masses.

He moved to the thing's backside and decided to move for the golden egg, nestled by the dragon's side. As he got within a few feet of it, the Horntail swung its spiked tail at him and Harry dove out of the way. Whether it knew where he was, or had just gotten lucky, he wasn't sure, but he dropped caution and sprinted forward, dodging again as the Horntail let loose a jet of fire towards him.

However, the flames were far enough away that he wasn't even grazed by the fire, and Harry mentally thanked the stars that Hermione had been right about their poor vision. He flew forward as fast as he could and snatched up the golden egg, then ran away from the dragon as quick as he could.

"Unbelievable!" shouted Bagman. "The young Mr. Potter has not only retrieved his egg, but has done so with minimal damage to both himself and the remaining eggs!"

As Harry dropped his charms, a team of dragon handlers ran out to help subdue the Horntail and he collapsed as the crowd cheered politely. He figured that his performance certainly hadn't been the most fun to watch, but he had escaped without injury, and that was important thing.

"Thank you two," he muttered, knowing there was no way Hermione or Daphne could hear him over the roar of the crowd.


	4. Many Returns

Chapter 4: Many Returns

Harry lay on the bed while Madam Pomfrey fussed over him. He hadn't been hurt at all; the worst was that his face was slightly singed by the Horntail's flames. He'd had worse burns growing up. Still, he knew that the quickest way to be released from her care was to cooperate with her; so, he lay there while she performed several diagnostic spells.

"I swear, Mr. Potter, you're determined to take years off my life! Dragons! Whatever were they thinking? Dementors last year and a dragon this year. It'll be vampires next year, I shouldn't wonder. Well lad, you should be clear to go and get your score."

Harry nodded and hopped off the bed, thanking her while she went back to Cedric and began to tend to his leg. As Harry began to walk out, Cedric grabbed his wrist.

"Harry…" he said softly enough so only he could hear. "I owe you one… for telling me."

"It was only fair," said Harry. "I remember our quidditch match last year. You're not one to take an unfair win, and neither am I."

He walked towards the tent flap and was interrupted by the figures of Hermione and Daphne followed by Ron.

"You were brilliant!" shouted Hermione, hugging Harry and making him stiffen from the contact. "You were by far the best!"

"Only thanks to you two," he said, smiling at them.

"It really wasn't a contest," said Daphne, in her dry way. "Krum hit it in the eye and made it squash half its own eggs. They docked him for that. The French witch tried to lure it to sleep, I believe it nearly worked too. But, it blew a jet of fire at her while it was getting sleep and she nearly caught fire. Diggory was probably the smartest after you; he transformed a boulder into a dog, but halfway through, the dragon decided it liked him better and got his leg a bit mangled by the thing."

Harry nodded and smiled. Given how aggressive the others had been with him once his name had come out of the goblet, there was a nice sense of comeuppance in knowing he'd had the best tactic in dealing with the dragon. Of course, he credited the two brightest witches of their age for the strategy. As Hermione released him, Harry looked at Ron, and felt a bit of anger rise up in his chest.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to remain calm.

"Harry," said Ron, looking at his shoes. "I reckon whoever put your name in that goblet… I reckon, they're trying to get you killed."

Harry glared daggers at the redhead, still furious for the man's behavior at him for the past month.

"Caught on then, have you?"

Ron winced at his words, which instantly changed Harry's anger to guilt. While it didn't excuse the teenage boy's behavior, he _did_ understand that Ron hadn't _really_ believed that Harry entered himself… and while he didn't like the way Ron had responded, the fact was that Ron was one of his very few friends, and they had been through hell and back together. Still, he couldn't just forget Ron's actions either.

"Harry, mate… I'm sorry," he said softly. "I've been a right prat, I know."

"Yeah," said Harry, a bit more gently. "Ron. I want to be friends with you again, but what you did… that hurt. I won't hold it against you, but I need some time before I can really trust you again… you get that right?"

Ron looked at him, and for a moment, he seemed to accept it. However, his eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on Daphne.

"So… what's with the snake?"

Daphne stiffened next to him and Harry intervened.

"She's my friend, and she's half the reason I'm not burnt to a crisp right now. Problem?"

Ron looked as though he wanted to say something very badly, but then seemed to think better of it.

"No," he said. "If you trust her, that's good enough for me Harry."

Harry nodded as they all walked outside.

"Thank you Harry," Daphne whispered into his ear so that only he could hear her.

He felt himself go slightly red in the face as her breath tickled his ear, and he hastily took an extreme interest in the judges while the blonde Slytherin giggled at his reaction. After a long moment the judges all resumed their positions and the crowd's chatter died down. Maxime, the first judge stood up and held her wand straight up into the air. After a loud _bang_ went off a long sliver ribbon shot into the air, which twisted itself into the number eight.

"Not bad!" said Ron, smiling. "Suppose she took points off for how long you took."

Crouch came next and he shot up and number nine. The crowd began cheering along with Ron, who had both fists in the air. Dumbledore stood and put up another nine.

"Quite impressive," said Daphne, smiling softly.

Ludo Bagman came next, and he shot up a ten.

"Ten?!" asked Harry. "What's he playing at? I wasn't perfect!"

"Don't complain," said Ron, thumping him on the back. "Helps your score, doesn't it?"

Karkaroff stood and then shot out a five.

"FIVE?!" asked Ron and Hermione at once, while the crowd booed.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised," said Daphne. "He gave Fleur and Cedric low scores too."

"Cheating scumbag!" said Ron, still in an uproar. "You gave Krum ten!"

Harry was fairly certain Ron was only overreacting due to his behavior from the past month, but it still felt nice to have someone on his side.

"That puts you tied for first, Harry!" said Hermione after doing some calculations in her head.

* * *

An hour later, they were walking up to the castle while Harry pondered what they had been told. Their clue was _inside_ the egg? Of course, he hadn't opened it yet, so he'd have to wait and see what it might be. He doubted it would be so simple as a riddle. It was sure to be something that the others would've learned about by now, but there was no guarantee he'd have to same kindness.

"Well, well, well," said a voice snapping Harry from his musings. "What do we have here, but a know-it-all mudblood, a broke blood-traitor, a damaged orphan and a wannabe Gryffindor?"

"Bit lengthy, wasn't that Ferret?" asked Daphne, assuming her Ice Queen voice. "You wouldn't just be salty because you've lost the pool, would you?"

"Pool?" asked Harry, looking at her.

"Yes. Several of the students in Slytherin made a bet about where you'd be in the rankings after the first task. Malfoy put you in last, but Tracey, Astoria, myself and a few select others made a much smarter bet."

"He got lucky and you know it Greengrass!"

"Now, now, Draco. Don't be a sourpuss merely because you now owe me a few galleons. Or, are you unable to match your bet? I had heard rumors your family wasn't so well off these days."

"My family is fine, you traitorous little…"

"It's a shame daddy hasn't taught you proper manners," said Daphne, cooly. "Now I'm off to have a bite to eat with the current favorite champion. You should go see Madam Pomfrey because I'm afraid you look a bit pale… although that could very well be your average complexion, now that I think on it."

They walked past Malfoy and his two cronies while Ron tried to hide his laughter and Harry smiled brightly at Daphne. When they were in the great hall, she relaxed and pulled a plate towards herself.

"Daphne!" Harry said brightly. "That was brilliant!"

"That is the way to insult people in the so-called 'high society' of purebloods," said Daphne, making air-quotes around the words high society. "I've gotten a fair bit of practice in from some gatherings as the Greengrass heiress. Astoria has a bit of skill, but she's still a novice I'm afraid."

Ron smiled as he grabbed a chicken leg.

"Well it was no punch in the face, but that was still awesome! Never thought I'd see the day when I rooted for a Slytherin."

"That's ok," said Tracey, appearing over his shoulder and sitting next to them. "Never thought we'd eat lunch with a Weasley, either."

Astoria came over and sat next to her sister, handing her a small number of galleons.

"Your winnings from the pool, sister mine."

"They're multiplying!" said the redhead in mock worry, making Harry laugh.

"I can't believe you've made friends with _another_ lion," said Astoria, rolling her eyes.

Harry looked between them and found there was some beauty in the fact that three Slytherins and three Gryffindors could all sit and eat together. It was certainly nothing he would've seen in his first year at Hogwarts. Still, he supposed this was part of what Daphne had meant by 'shaking up the established order.'

"Anyway, thanks again Hermione, Daphne. Without you two I would've died… or at least had to do something way more foolhardy."

"Well once it couldn't see or hear you, all you had to worry about was its sense of smell," said Hermione. "Too bad Daphne and I didn't have time to take care of that."

"What?" asked Ron, confused.

"What'd you two do?" asked Tracey.

"Well, the idea was possible in premise," said Daphne. "We wanted to etch some runes into Harry's robes that would mask his scent. We could've done it if we had a bit more time, but set runes into fabric is surprisingly complex. We could've also looked into another charm for it, but Harry had his hands full already with the three spells he had to learn. In the end we decided to go with the sound and sight hoping that the crowd would help hide his smell."

"I have to admit," said Harry. "I didn't think much of ancient runes but I didn't realize what they could be used for. I'd transfer from divination if I weren't already two years behind. Oh well, maybe I could study up on it some after Hogwarts. Daphne and Hermione explained to me how runes are used in all sorts of things from enchantments to wards. Too bad we didn't have time to do it."

"Still," said Hermione. "If we know what the next task will be, we'll have plenty of time to do something with them next time. Really the only limit is the runes you know and how much space you have to lay them out."

"Well, runes or no runes I reckon you could win this thing Harry," said Ron. "I'm serious."

Harry laughed, shaking his head while he put an apple and some bacon on his plate and began to eat.

"Honestly Ron, I'm just looking to live. Let one of the other three take the trophy."

They continued to laugh together and eat until they were full and Harry let the full weariness of his tango with the dragon hit him.

"Well we'd better head up to the tower, Harry. Reckon Fred and George will have gotten ahold of some butterbeer by now. Maybe even some firewhiskey."

"Typical Gryffindors," said Tracey. "Can't even celebrate properly. You could at least explore a broom closet with a girl, Harry."

Harry felt himself go red again, and examined his shoes while Tracey laughed at him.

"Barking mad that one is," said Ron, standing up.

"You know it!"

Harry stood as well and the three of them began to head up to Gryffindor tower, Ron happily describing what the other champions had attempted in greater detail. Honestly, it felt good to have Ron back, but Harry had meant what he'd said earlier: it would take some time before things were right again. Still, this was definitely better than being at odds with him.

It even seemed that some of the other students were starting to come around. He noticed less of the POTTER STINKS badges around, and a few of the students even shouted out a form of approval as he passed them.

Harry shrugged. They public would always be fickle where he was concerned. He was determined to focus on his friends, and support them the same way they supported him.


	5. Lakeside Winters

Chapter 5: Lakeside Winters

"What is it your parents do?" asked Harry as he and Daphne lay on the grass by the great lake, enjoying the sunset.

The fall had given way to winter, but with warming charms they were still fairly cozy, and outside was one of the few places they could enjoy time alone what with all the extra students in the castle. Apparently, Daphne was handling things in Slytherin rather well, but Harry knew better than to accept that at face value.

He knew, better than most, how often "fine" meant not fine at all. He understood what it was like to be stared at and whispered about. He knew about the "accidental" shoves or elbows in the halls. People either hated Daphne because she was a pureblood Slytherin and friends with someone outside of her house, or because she had become close to him. She said that a few Ravenclaws had even asked how to get close to him, as if there was a trick to it.

He just wanted friends that didn't care that he was famous.

"My father is a business investor," said Daphne. "He helps up-and-comers get started and in return gets a small percentage of their profits. And my mother helps keep his records straight. I'm afraid your gender is rather lost without the fairer sex, Harry."

Harry laughed at her joke and smiled softly. He really enjoyed spending time with Daphne and learning more about her life. They had grown closer than he would've expected when she approached him at the beginning of the year and he was grateful for it. She let him into her life and he learned about how close she and her sister were, and about the sort of pressures Daphne was under as an heiress, even though her family was relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. She had also begun teaching him a bit about how the wizarding government was run, and what it meant to hold a seat on the wizengamot.

Unlike him, or any of his close friends, Daphne had grown up in high society. She had learned how to handle formal occasions and grew up knowing that the slightest wrong move could cause major scandals. She'd been watched from the time she was old enough to walk and talk, in order to ensure that every step was perfect.

He sympathized with her, as he knew what it felt like to be under a great amount of scrutiny. He'd been watched by the entire wizarding world ever since he'd first entered it. Still, talking to someone who knew what that was like seemed to help. There was still one subject Harry refused to give in and talk about, which was his upbringing with the Dursleys. Maybe it was shame or pure pride, but he didn't want her to know about that.

He did tell her about Sirius and how Wormtail had betrayed his family. What he hadn't really expected was the tears that the recounting had brought about. He'd never really known his family, but given Ron's attitude earlier that year, he had a small idea of what it was like to feel betrayed by one of your best friends. He tried to imagine what it would be like if he'd been in his parents' situation and used Ron as his secret keeper, only to find out that he'd been betrayed to Voldemort… it stung more than he would've thought it could.

Daphne, to her credit, didn't say anything about the tears. She merely had embraced him and remained there until he had managed to calm down again. He still didn't like being touched, but once he got over the initial discomfort, he felt like he enjoyed the feeling of being hugged. He was also a little surprised at how different a hug could be based on the person giving it.

Hermione always hugged him very tight, as if she were trying to crush his ribs a little, and Mrs. Weasley seemed to be trying to trap him in her embrace. While it was something he'd learned to accept, and he liked them for what they represented, he still didn't like the actual act of being squeezed by someone. But Daphne was a little different. She didn't squash him, but simply held him, letting him know she was there.

"What's your dream job?" asked Daphne, snapping Harry out of his thoughts. "What does Harry Potter want to do once he leaves Hogwarts?"

"I hadn't really thought about it much," he admitted. "I'd thought about being an auror, like Moody, I suppose. I don't know though… I guess it just seems so far away right now. What about you?"

"That's understandable, I suppose. I've never had to ponder what I would do. I'll take over my father's affairs when the time comes. Should it be required I'll assist my husband in his endeavors. I suppose my goal is to make sure whoever I end up with dominates their chosen field… if that make sense. After all, any man is only as good as the woman at his side. I intend to make sure that the man I'm with showcases that."

Harry smiled at that. Daphne often said things that Harry really had no context for. Aunt Petunia was completely uninvolved in his uncle's affairs, but he supposed that if she were more involved he might be more successful in his business. Not that Harry really knew how one was more successful in a company that made drills.

"Although," she said after a moment. "I'll admit I've considered becoming a storywriter for the wizarding world. Most of our books are purely informational, and there's precious little fiction… unless you include Lockhart's books. Sure there the tales of Beetle the Bard, but that's largely for children."

"What's Beetle the Bard?" Harry asked, confused.

"A series of children's stories meant to teach morals and the like. I suppose you've never really had reason to know it. I think mother still has a copy at our house if you would ever like to read it."

"I think I would," he said while pondering another question.

Honestly, he already knew the question he really wanted to ask. When he'd been told that they would need partners for the Yule Ball, he instantly wanted to ask Daphne, but gathering the courage to actually ask her was proving a very daunting prospect. If anyone had asked him before the first task, he'd have gladly asked out a woman out before tackling a dragon. Now that he was over that hurdle, he felt that he'd rather have another round with the fire-breathing beast.

Still, nothing he'd really achieved had come easy to him, with the possible exception of flying a broom.

"Daphne," he started, and swallowed nervously. "Go to the Yule Ball with me?"

He instantly closed his eyes, preparing for the unpleasant answer. For a long second, there was no answer, until Daphne began laughing softly.

"Harry, Gryffindors and Slytherins _don't_ date one another. It's an unspoken rule."

"Oh…" he sad softly, feeling his heart plummet.

"So, I think I'll rather enjoy breaking that rule with you," she said, reaching down and grasping his hand. "I swear, you're so helpless sometimes… It's lucky I like you, Harry."

Harry felt his face flush and he lost his ability to speak. Inwardly, he felt like he was soaring, and knew he wouldn't sleep a wink that night. Daphne also knew him well enough to know his silence wasn't anything for her to be upset by, and instead she merely took a moment to enjoy their time together. However, after a second or so, she spoke up again.

"That can't be pleasant, I imagine," she said.

Harry opened his eyes, and tracked her gaze. She was starting at the Durmstrang ship, and as Harry looked at it, he witnessed Victor Krum dive from the edge of the ship into the water below.

"He's barking!" said Harry, sharply. "Water's got to be freezing."

"Yes," said Daphne, thoughtfully. "It must be… so why would he be swimming?"

"Exercise?" Harry guessed.

"I don't think so. He's a seeker. Would you swim if you could fly?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't… Reckon it has something to do with the tournament?"

Daphne's eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at him.

"Harry! You're a genius!"

Harry looked at her, confused.

"Well, thank you… but if you'll be so kind as to tell me what it is I've said that makes me a genius…"

"The screeching! It's not screeching, it's mermish! I can't believe we didn't find this out earlier; I have been an idiot! Where's your egg?"

"In my bag, in the dorms," said Harry, concerned. "Daphne, I'm afraid you're not making any sense."

"Mermaids Harry! They can't speak above ground, it just sounds like screaming. We learned about them last year in Defense Against the Dark Arts, remember?"

Harry thought back and realized she was right. He might've even thought about them sooner if he'd been as book smart as he was practical about defense.

"So, you reckon if you open the egg underwater…"

"It'll tell you what the next task is!" she said, smiling brightly at him.

Harry hugged her briefly, more out of reaction than anything else.

"Daphne you're amazing really!" he said, standing up and dusting the snow off. "I think I need to go take a quick bath."

He couldn't help but notice her cheeks had gone slightly pink. He reached down and helped Daphne onto her feet while she beamed at him. He turned and began to run back to the castle in his excitement.

"Harry!" she called after him.

"Yeah?" he called back.

"Eight o' clock, Christmas eve!"

"See you then!" he shouted back, before whispering to himself. "It's a date."

Between finally cracking the egg's mystery and getting a date with Daphne, Harry doubted he would have a better day all year long, if ever.

* * *

A week later, he, Hermione and Daphne were all in the library going over several different pieces of information. However, they hadn't found anything that would definitively help Harry breathe for one hour under the water. It didn't help that the spells in the books were organized by the age at which they were usually taught, instead of by function.

"If we could get ahold of some gillyweed," said Hermione, sighing. "I think that would work pretty well."

"Likely, yes," said Daphne. "But the only way to get some in time for the task would be through Snape, and I really doubt he'll be willing to help you, Harry."

Harry grimaced.

"He'd be more likely to poison the stuff, or just give me a fake in the hopes I'd drown."

"He's not that bad Harry," said Hermione crossly. "He's… alright a bit abrasive, but he's still a professor."

Harry didn't bother objecting, he was too tired. He, Daphne and Hermione had spent most of their free time trying to find a spell to breathe underwater ever since he'd gotten the egg's clue. So far, gillyweed was the their best bet, and if nothing better came up, Harry would get it from Snape, but he really didn't like the idea of stealing from the potion's master again… He doubted Snape he forgotten the boomslang skin that had mysteriously vanished two years ago.

Two days later, and no further in their ideas, their session was interrupted by Cedric sliding into the seat next to Harry.

"Hey there Harry!" he said jovially. "What would you three be up to?"

"Oh, hey Cedric," said Harry, surprised by the Hufflepuff's sudden appearance. "We're… just trying to get something sorted out."

Cedric smiled at him, flashing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Of course," he said, sagely tapping the side of his nose. "Well… if you were searching for something to help… oh, I don't know, breathe underwater for example… I would advise you to look into the bubblehead charm. Not that you'd have any reason to want to do such a thing, of course."

"Wait," said Harry as the older man began to stand. "W-why?"

Cedric smiled brightly.

"You told me about the dragons, and I like fair play. Which reminds me, win or lose this thing, you and I are going to have a rematch some day, Potter."

Harry smiled back.

"Looking forward to it, and Cedric?"

"Yes?"

"I can't think of _anyone_ who more deserves to be a Hogwarts Champion."


	6. Hogsmeade

Chapter 6: Hogsmeade

"'et is too 'eavy!" they heard Fleur Delacour complain as they passed her in the great hall. "All this 'ogwarts food! I will not fit into my dress robes."

"Well, there's a tragedy," said Hermione snidely as they continued walking.

"Why Hermione," said Harry softly enough that only their group could hear. "I'm starting to get the idea that you don't like our dear French champion that much."

"Can't say I blame her," said Daphne softly. "She is a bit… much, isn't she?"

Harry shrugged, and replied honestly that he hadn't thought much on her one way or the other, which for some reason brought a smile to Daphne's face. He'd given up trying to understand all her reactions to some of what he said. Girls were weird, he figured. He was excited about their trip to Hogsmeade, because he'd get to see Sirius in person today. It felt like too long since Harry had been able to talk to him face-to-face.

Sirius had sent Harry regular letters, of course, but it wasn't really the same. When he physically saw his godfather, he saw something in the man's eyes and didn't realize how important it was until he'd had it. Sirius loved him, and it didn't matter what Harry did. He'd apologized at least a dozen times for not being in Harry's life before now, but Harry had already told him that he didn't blame the Black heir for that. After all, no one in their right mind would choose to be locked in Azkaban when they were innocent.

He still would've given anything in the world to have known his parents, but he felt like having a godfather was probably a pretty good second.

They moved out of the hall, past Fleur, still complaining and walked out of the large entrance doors toward the carriages.

"Well," said Ron, shrugging. "I like her."

"Big surprise there," said Tracey, as she hopped into the carriage. "Planning on asking her to the Yule Ball there, Weasley?"

Ron's face went nearly as red as his hair.

"Who are you going with then?" he asked as the carriage began moving.

"Oh no!" she said, holding up her hands. "No way are you getting me to dance around some fancy-pants dance of death. I'll spend the time in our common room thank you very much."

"Couldn't get a date, huh?" asked Daphne, smiling at the dark-haired girl.

"Well, we can't all snag Harry Potter, can we dear?" asked Tracey.

Ron turned to Harry, mouth open while Hermione put her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing. Daphne was busy glaring daggers at her best friend while Harry took an interest in his shoes.

"Is it nice revealing private conversations, Tracey?" asked Daphne. "I would hope so, because I'm going to kill you now."

"Oh, was that a private conversation?" asked Tracey, feigning innocence. "I'm sorry dear. I'm afraid I can't help it. After all, you're so cute together."

Harry half-expected Daphne to start cursing Tracey, but instead the blonde merely smiled and laughed softly.

"Perhaps I should tell everyone about our conversation the other night?" Daphne asked sweetly.

Tracey had the grace to look abashed and apologized profusely.

"You didn't say you'd gotten a date Harry," said Ron, accusingly.

"You didn't ask," said Harry smiling brightly. "Not my fault you still haven't asked anyone. Honestly I was bit afraid of how you'd react."

"Well…" said Ron, picking at his robes slightly. "I get that… I suppose. Back in first year I think I might've gone mental, but I guess not all snakes are so bad."

"Are you feeling ok there, lion?" asked Tracey, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand before laughing again. "Can't be just because you've started to notice Slytherin has the sexiest witches, is it?"

Harry coughed several times while Daphne rubbed his back softly. He doubted that he would _ever_ get used to Tracey. Still though, he was glad she was part of their little group. Still what _had_ been a slight bump in the road was Astoria. She'd been somewhat open to him at first, but as time went on she'd become increasingly cold towards him and even Daphne.

More than once, he wondered if the wrong sister didn't have the Ice Queen title.

"Well," said Harry once he'd regained his breath. "I'm certainly pleased with my partner."

Daphne nodded softly, and Harry had begun to notice she did it when something pleased her.

"I suppose Hermione and me will get a date any day now… you know?" said Ron.

"Actually," said Hermione. "I've already gotten one."

"You don't!" said Ron, stunned.

"Have you?" asked Harry, trying to sound polite instead of surprised. "Good on you, Hermione."

The bushy-haired witch beamed at him and the carriages came to a stop. Harry got out first and helped Daphne down before she took his arm in her own.

"Very well done," said whispered so that only he could hear her. "You're coming along quite nicely, Mr. Potter."

"I've had a good teacher," he muttered back.

Daphne had taken it upon herself to begin teaching Harry high society etiquette and procedure. While he had no intention of following certain rules and attitudes, they agreed it was important that he _know_ them. Still, what he'd enjoyed was what Daphne termed "dating lessons."

Never having had a girlfriend before, and not exactly having an adult to teach him much in the ways of romance, Harry had no idea what to do with a girlfriend that he didn't do with a normal friend. Luckily, Daphne had been understanding and began to teach him how to behave with her. The more he learned, the more he enjoyed doing, and the more he began to understand how to express the way he felt about her. It was still hard for him to express his emotions without an expectation of some form of punishment, but the Slytherin "Ice Queen" was always kind and gentle with him. She never yelled or got upset when she had to repeat herself, and as the days moved on, it started to get easier.

Now that they had no classes for Christmas break, and Harry didn't have to worry about his egg, he and Daphne were free to spend their time together for large chunks of the day. At first, he'd really worried about Hermione and Ron feeling left out, but Hermione always covered for him. How she learned about him and Daphne, he was never quite sure, but he suspected that she and Daphne shared more than they let on.

"We're supposed to meet snuffles by the opposite end of the village," said Harry quietly.

"Right," said Daphne. "I'm a bit nervous, but excited. He's not really violent, right?"

"Not at all," he assured her. "He might make a joke or two at your expense, but that's it."

She nodded again and they began moving forward only to hear one of the most unpleasant voices in the entirety of Hogwarts call out to them, "My, my, Greengrass. Trying to ensnare the fake champion, are you? Really is a shame you're the heiress to your family name. Soon there won't be any respectable houses left."

"Oh," Harry said, focusing on a point behind Malfoy. "Hello there, Professor Moody."

Malfoy spun around nervously while Harry and Daphne both began laughing softly.

"I don't know why you're so scared, Malfoy," called out Daphne. "I think you make rather a perfect ferret. You're already small, loud, obnoxious and don't like anyone. All Moody really had to do was add the furry tail."

Malfoy went red and he stuffed his hand into his robes for his wand. Harry was quicker and already had his pointed squared at the Slytherin boy.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry called out.

Malfoy's wand flew out of his grasp and landed squarely in Harry's outstretched hand. For a moment, Harry thought he was going to continue trying to attack anyway, but at the moment the rest of their group arrived and even Malfoy could work out that 5-on-3 wasn't a good situation.

Harry tossed the wand back to its owner.

"Get lost Malfoy, before you further poison my Christmas break," said Daphne, coldly.

He glared at them before spinning on his heel and heading for the carriages.

"You're an insult to purebloods, Greengrass," he called over his shoulder.

Harry found he was shaking slightly and had a half-dozen jinxes on his mind before Daphne put a hand on his shoulder, calming him.

"It's ok," she said softly. "He's a nuisance… nothing more. Let's go see snuffles, Harry."

He nodded and pocketed his wand as their group began to walk up the Hogsmeade street. One thing Harry never fully got over and never felt he would, was how beautiful the tiny village looked once the snow fell. It looked just like a postcard someone might send during the holidays. Due to their warming charms, they managed to keep from freezing while they walked the streets and as they reached the last building, Harry saw a large, black, shaggy dog sitting there, wagging his tail.

"Hey!" said Harry, unable to keep the happiness out of his voice.

He reached down and scratched behind the dog's ear with Sirius _yipped_ happily before turning and running up a hill. They followed him and before long they wound up in a small cave, and Sirius transformed back into the figure of a man. The first thing Harry noticed was that he was no longer a grubby, unshaven criminal with sunken eyes and a gaunt figure. Rather, Sirius seemed fairly healthy, and his beard and hair were trimmed and washed. Harry ran up to the man and embraced him with Sirius hugged him back, laughed softly.

"Harry," he said kindly once they separated. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"You too!" said Harry, beaming. "You look… well different."

"Do I?" asked Sirius, posing. "Not a mangy mutt anymore? I've been in my parent's old home, mostly. Dreadful place at the moment Harry, I wouldn't want you to be near it, but it at least allowed me to eat and get cleaned up a bit. Dumbledore's talking about even… well, that's all talk for the future, I suppose. Let's talk about you, dragon slayer."

Harry felt himself go red in the face.

"I didn't slay it," he said softly. "And I only got past it with Hermione and Daphne's help."

At that moment, Tracey, the last of the entered the cave and got a good look at Sirius.

"I will never stop being surprised at how weird your life is, Harry," she said, keeping her gaze squarely on Sirius.

She might _know_ that he wasn't actually a dangerous murderer, but it was hard to get over the idea when it was all you'd ever heard about someone.

"Got to say, Harry," said Sirius, conjuring chairs for them to sit in. "I'm a bit surprised you opened your group to Slytherins, but I'm proud of you for it. After all, your mum was friends with a Slytherin, at least until fifth year. That was a different situation though."

"I never knew mum was friends with a Slytherin," said Harry, surprised, before admitting. "I guess I don't really know all that much about them… even now."

Sirius nodded somberly.

"I have every intention of correcting that, Harry. I know I haven't been there before now, but believe me when I say that I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become. I'm glad that even if you look more like James, you have Lily's heart."

Daphne stepped forward and spoke up.

"Hello Mr. Black," she said, holding out her hand. "I'm Daphne Greengrass. I know Harry's mentioned me to you, but I'm glad to meet you properly."

Sirius let out a laugh that sounded very much like a bark and took her hand, shaking it.

"I should've guessed you were a Greengrass. The very image of your mother, you are. She was a few years ahead of us, so I can't say that I ever was very close to her, but she was a nice enough lady. Can't say I know your father, though. So, I take it you're the one aiming to corrupt my godson through several broom closet encounters in the upcoming years?"

Tracey relaxed instantly.

"Oh, I like him!" she called out, chuckling.

Daphne smiled at him, and placed a hand on Harry's shoulders.

"It's my intention that Harry and I get to enjoy our relationship. He's had rather more than his fair share of stress and hardship, I think. Don't you agree?"

"Good answer," said Sirius. "Now then, why don't you tell me just how it was you got past your dragon, Harry?"


	7. The Yule Ball

Chapter 7: The Yule Ball

Harry shifted and swept his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time that hour. It was impossible to explain exactly why the dance was so important to him, but he saw it as a chance to prove himself to Daphne. He knew that if he'd said that she'd reject the notion, but Harry felt he needed to prove that he would do right by her, at least as much as he could. Ron rolled his eyes as he continued to try and make his dress robes at least somewhat presentable.

"I will never believe dad _actually_ used to wear these things, even without the lace," he said picking at the frills.

Harry shrugged.

"Forget wizard fashion, I don't even know anything about muggle clothes."

"Well, I guess you know how it feels to be stuck with some second-hand stuff."

"At least yours are somewhat close to your size," said Harry, thinking of Dudley's far too large clothes.

"Well, no worries about how you look tonight, mate," said Ron, smiling at him. "I'm sure Daphne will think you look great!"

Harry smiled at him and then paused.

"Ron," he said seriously. "I know we never really talked in depth about it, but… thanks for not judging her."

"Harry, I had sometime to think after… after the start of this year. I may not like what you and Hermione try to make me do, but when you both agree on something… it's usually right."

Harry laughed at him, but couldn't deny he had a point. Hermione may tend to go off on certain areas, like S.P.E.W. and he was often a bit too hot-headed, but Hermione and he balanced out quite nicely. It was one of the reasons he always knew she'd be part of his life, and he was glad Daphne wasn't a jealous type of woman. She'd merely accepted that he and Hermione had a history, and thus they were close.

Hermione was a friend he'd always been able to rely on, and she was one of the first people who cared about him. That counted for a lot. Still though, he was happy he and Daphne were getting closer now. He was starting to share his thoughts and ideas with her in a way he couldn't even do with Hermione, and she always listened to his ideas, even if they were stupid.

"So," said Harry, more as a distraction than anything. "Who'd you end up getting to go with you?"

"Oh. Well, you and Hermione set a bit of a streak by going outside of the house for your dates, so I figured I'd continue the tradition. I asked Lisa Turpin to the ball."

"Good for you, mate."

"My date's also not in Gryffindor," said Neville nervously. "I was planning on asking Ginny, but I sort of… got asked first."

"No kidding?" asked Ron, although not rudely. "So who's eye did you catch then?"

"Sorry," said Neville softly. "She said if I told you that she would… She said she'd… she told me not to tell you."

Harry looked to Ron, confused. The redhead merely shrugged and reexamined himself in the mirror. After the better part of an hour, they head downstairs and out of the common room.

Harry kept glancing around, looking for Daphne, but he didn't see her. He kept looking around as they reached the entrance hall and saw Fleur with Roger Davis, the captain of the Ravenclaw quidditch team. Harry briefly wondered if he was a relative of Tracey's, but before now he'd rather forgotten about the man. Soon Cedric moved towards them with Cho arm-in-arm with him.

This sent a weird lurch through him that he didn't know how to classify. It wasn't jealously or longing, and it wasn't the same as when his heart used to do summersaults from just looking at her. It more like his heart was so conditioned to react to her that it had prepared to thud harder, only to realize that she no longer held the same effect over him.

 _Can that really be just because I'm with Daphne now?_ he wondered. _And what would that mean about me?_

Cedric spotted Harry at once and moved for him, smiling and waving softly. This also gave Harry a small bit of pause. Despite the fact that they were competing against each other (however much he might not want to) Cedric had been nothing but open and even helpful to him. It made Harry respect Cedric all the more and brought memories of the Hufflepuff attempting to call off their quidditch match because Harry had fallen off his broom.

He decided whatever else Cedric might be, he was a damn decent man.

"How you doing there, Harry?" he asked, shaking Harry's hand.

"I'm good Cedric! Honestly a bit nervous. How are you both doing?"

"Oh this is rather lovely," said Cho, smiling up at Cedric. "I've been looking forward to this for weeks."

"Honestly, this is _way_ easier than fighting a dragon," said Cedric, winking at Harry. "I'll take a dance any day."

"I agree. This tournament can have rather confusing riddles. Still, at least this next one shouldn't be so bad."

He did his best to wink back at Cedric, though he was sure the gesture was a lot less impressive coming for him.

At that moment he spotted Daphne coming up from the dungeons and he swore his brain short-circuited for a moment. She wore a long, emerald-green dress. Her hair was silky and almost shone in the light, as if she'd put several miniscule diamonds in it. She moved towards him gracefully and Harry felt his legs shake as she wrapped her arms around his left arm.

This close, he could clearly smell her perfume, and it reminded him of lilacs.

"C-Cedric and Cho," he said, trying to get his tongue to behave. "This is my date, Daphne Greengrass. Daphne, this is Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang."

Daphne curtsied to them and smiled at them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," she said softly.

"Well Harry, I do have to give you compliments on your choice of a companion tonight," said Cedric, smiling. "How long have you two known each other."

"Since the tournament started," said Harry. "Still, she's become my best friend during that time. If it wasn't for her I'd have been cooked alive by that horntail."

Cedric laughed good-naturedly, and excused himself to meet up with some other Hufflepuffs. Harry immediately turned to Daphne.

"You look… wow," he said, unable to find more appropriate words.

Daphne did her pleased nod, and smiled at him.

"High praise, I should think. I have to admit, you clean up even better than I'd expected."

Harry nervously smiled at tried in vain to flatten his hair again. To his surprise, she raised one of her hands and caught his, slowly lowering it to his side. He looked down and noticed that her nails were painted Gryffindor gold.

"Is… did you do that for me?" he asked quietly.

She flashed a sly smile at him.

"I'm rather pleased you noticed, Harry. Now come on, and don't fuss so much over your hair. I like it as it is."

That made him go slightly red in the face. He still wasn't used to anyone saying that they liked any part of him. Sure, once he'd entered the wizarding world, he'd received praise, but it wasn't really the same thing as approval or love. While he'd never expressly shared any part of his life with the Dursleys with Daphne, he had the suspicion she had worked out that he wasn't cared for while he was with them. She seemed to have taken it as a personal mission to be sure to tell him that she approved of him in some way at least once a day. It always made him feel warm inside, as if maybe she really did like him… at least a bit.

"Champions over here please," called professor McGonagall.

Harry lined up with Daphne behind Krum and enjoyed the feeling of Daphne's arm in his while his eyes glanced over to see who Krum had come with. He felt a moment of shock and saw that it was Hermione. She'd clearly put a lot of effort in for the dance as well, with straighter hair and wearing a periwinkle blue dress. She was also smiling, rather nervously it was true, but she looked every part a champion's date.

"Hi Daphne! Hi Harry!" she whispered as they looked at her.

Harry looked back at her and nodded while Daphne smiled and dipped her head as well.

The doors fell open as the music strung up at once. Harry did his best to swing in as he assumed the position that he'd been practicing for the past month. While he made sure to smile, he was actually counting carefully in his head in order to keep in time with the music. Dahpne was far more elegant and she was able to save what missteps he took. Luckily after the first dance was finished, neither he, nor his partner had sore feet.

"Very well done Harry," she whispered to him. "I shall have to thank Hermione for teaching you to dance."

Harry grinned at her. He hadn't told Daphne that he was practicing, but it didn't surprise him that she would have worked it out. Still, she had missed _one_ thing.

"Hermione and Tracey, actually."

"I'm rather surprised my dorm-mate kept even that secret. She normally loves to divulge information. Still, I'm glad she did, and I'm proud of you Harry, and not just for the dancing. You've really come along these past few months. I was a bit worried when I first met you that you might just give in to all the pressure."

"Well I'm sure you were a huge help, after all."

As they passed Malfoy he stood up, and straighten his black velvet robes before reaching out to his partner. Harry felt a momentary shock at seeing no one other than Astoria take his hand and begin to join in the dance.

"That _would_ explain a lot," said Daphne, trying to hide the disgust in her face.

Harry growled towards the blonde boy before a thought crossed his mind and he looked at Daphne, concerned for her.

"I hope Malfoy and me fighting isn't hurting your relationship with your sister?"

"No, Harry. Her relationship with Malfoy disturbs me as much as it does you. I honestly can't say what it is that she sees in that bigot."

Harry smiled and leaned towards her ear, whispering, "Well, you did say he made a rather magnificent ferret. Perhaps your sister merely wants a pet."

Daphne giggled at that and looked at him, nodding again.

"I believe I shall have to keep that jab in mind next time she gets too rowdy."

They continued the dance and eventually he found his rhythm with Daphne as the floor filled with couples. Harry found that, to his surprise, he was really enjoying dancing once the attention had faded off them. This was actually rather wonderful, being close to her without his body reacting. She often touched him, but his instinct was always to pull away out of reaction to avoid being hit. She never said anything about it, but he was sure that his stiff movements had hurt her feelings.

He often wished he weren't the way he was. He wished he could express how much he liked the feeling of Daphne's hand in his, or the way her head felt resting on his shoulder, or how her hair often smelled of fresh strawberries, but his behavior had been beaten into him over the course of ten years, and it was not so easily unmade.

They passed by Dumbledore mentioning to Karkaroff that he'd happened upon a disappearing room that morning and Harry shook his head slightly at his headmaster's carefree attitude. He never did quite understand how the old wizard always seemed completely unfazed by anything, but it occurred to him that the headmaster likely didn't let his inner thoughts out so easily, something that Harry couldn't begrudge him for.

Eventually the couple sat down next to Hermione and Krum, who were talking very animatedly.

"Harry Potter," he said in a very thick accent when Harry sat down. "It is good to meet you properly. I 'ear you fly very vell."

Harry felt himself go slightly red in the face.

"You too," he said, nervously. "I'm a decent enough seeker. Not as good as you are, I should think. This is my date, Daphne Greengrass."

"Pleasure," she said, shaking the Bulgarian's hand.

"Greengrass?" Krum asked, surprised. "I 'ave vorked with your father. Cyrus is a good man, but I vas not aware he had children."

They spent the next few minutes happily eating their food and chatting and for the first time since the tournament began Harry truly felt a speck of bonding was happening between two different schools.


	8. The Rose and the Torn

Chapter 8: The Rose and the Torn

Harry and Daphne sat down still breathing a bit hard. The Weird Sisters, who were all extremely hairy, had picked up the pace pretty quickly after the opening song. He had kept up for as long as he could, but in the end he'd found himself exhausted and Daphne had taken pity on him, leading him towards a table.

"Well," he said, drinking a large gulp of pumpkin juice. "I hope you're having fun at least."

Daphne smiled at him and leaned against his arm, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I am having a wonderful evening Mr. Potter. A girl couldn't ask for more."

Harry found himself smiling in response only to see Neville heading towards him and Daphne. Harry waved briefly to him and immediately saw his fellow Gryffindor go slightly pink in the face.

"Oh," he said, nervously. "H-hi there Harry."

"Hey Neville," Harry said, looking to see if he could spy Neville's date. "So you going to tell us who you're here with, then?"

As he asked it Neville's date walked up, and for a long moment Harry's brain failed to put everything together. Standing next to Neville, with her hair tied back in an uncharacteristically neat ponytail, was Tracey.

"Are you serious?" asked Daphne. "What was all that insistence that you weren't coming to the dance then?"

Tracey winked at her and beamed.

"Well I had no intention of coming… or showing up tonight," she said, making Harry roll his eyes at her innuendo. "But then I heard that Neville here didn't have a date to this thing yet. And I thought to myself, 'Well it won't do for a pureblood like him to show up without a beautiful girl on his arm.' So, I've leased myself to him for the night."

Harry couldn't up but chuckle a bit, which made Tracey glare slightly at him.

"Did you think you were going to avoid spotting us all night?" he asked.

"Who says that was my plan?" she asked, confused.

"Neville said you warned him not to tell us."

At this, Tracey raised an eyebrow and turned to Neville, who had taken a sudden interest in his goblet.

"That's not what I said. I specifically said that if he told you I would fuck the shit out of him."

This sent Daphne into a coughing fit for long second or two, which surprised Harry. He'd almost thought that Daphne was beyond being shocked by _anything_ Tracey might say.

"Tracey!" she said sharply, once she'd regained her breath.

The auburn haired girl shrugged and sat down next to Daphne, pulling Neville down next to her.

"So, you two having a nice evening?" asked Harry, only slightly mocking them.

"Actually yes," said Tracey. "He's quite adorable to fluster, but there's more to him if you can get it out of him."

Daphne sighed and returned her head to Harry's side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Soon they were joined by Ron and Lisa, who began to kiss one another, making Harry eager for some space away from the couple.

Apart from the fact that public snogging made him a fair bit uncomfortable, he had yet to kiss Daphne, and didn't really know how to, or even if he should, approach the issue. At times Daphne seemed to want him to kiss her, but Harry never had the courage to actually lean in a kiss her, for fear she'd reject the motion.

Luckily Daphne appeared to want to separate from the conjoined configuration of students almost as much as he did, and they head onto the dance floor as a slower song started up. Harry shook slightly as he placed his hand on Daphne's slender hips and began to rhythmically rock and back forth with her, enjoying their closeness.

"Hey Daphne?" he whispered to her, and she shook slightly as his breath tickled her ear.

"Yes Harry?"

"I…" he paused, trying to find the right words. "I'm really glad you agreed to come with me tonight, and be together with me. I just… It's been really wonderful… so thank you."

She smiled and placed her face into his collarbone, sighing contentedly.

"Harry Potter, please never stop being such a good person."

Her statement confused him greatly, but as with so many things where women were concerned, he didn't question it verbally. Rather, he choose to simple enjoy the closeness of the moment while they rocked back and forth.

The lights in the great hall dimmed as the song continued and Daphne raised her head to look into his eyes with her light blue orbs. He glanced down at her lips and saw her lick them very slightly, which sent a strange shudder through him. It was yet another moment where he really wanted to kiss her, but what if she didn't want to… or worse what if she only did it because there were so many people around?

He continued this cycle in his head several times, and just as his head was about to split with the pure frustration of it all, he made his choice. He slowly gathered up every bit of his Gryffindor courage and gulped nervously. He swore he'd suddenly lose the ability to move at all.

As he was still trying to find some way to pull of the seeming simple action of leaning forward, he sudden felt Daphne sigh again.

"Sod it all," she muttered and he felt her grab the front of his dress robes.

Before he could protest, she quickly pressed her lips against his, and kissed him.

For a long second, Harry could feel the entire world around him drop away, and then there was nothing, nothing but her. He didn't feel the crowd and he didn't feel nervous or like anything was going to go wrong… He actually felt, good… really good. He felt better than he'd ever felt in his entire life.

All his anxiety, worry and pain instantly faded, replaced by Daphne's soft lips. As they hung in that moment, which held time still for several years, he couldn't help but taste that her lips had a slight cherry taste to them. It was sweet and intoxicating. As they slowly separated, and he opened her eyes only to see her standing a daze, he came to a conclusion, and had no idea if it was remotely romantic or not.

He would have no problem thinking of a memory if he needed to cast another Patronus.

Daphne for her part merely wrapped her arms around him and he heard her make an odd sort of noise in her throat that he couldn't place. They stayed like that for a long moment until the song came to an end and Dumbledore released them to their common rooms for the night. He looked at Daphne, who still hadn't spoken and as he was about to ask her… something he hadn't really decided on, she placed her fingers on his lips, shushing him softly.

" _That_ Harry, is the proper way for you to end a date with me. So, from now on I fully expect you to end ours properly."

He smiled at her, and nodded.

After a few long moments, he found his legs again and they began to walk back out, Harry had decided he was going to walk her to the dungeons. Not that she really needed him to, but he doubted she wanted to separate from him anymore than he wanted to leave her.

They intentionally took the trip slowly, but it still ended all too soon. As Harry reached the spot he knew the Slytherin common room to be, he felt more than heard Snape appear behind them.

"Unless I am much mistaken," he said in his cold tone. "Students, even the great champion Harry Potter, have been dismissed to _their_ _own_ common rooms. So, perhaps you can explain to me what exactly it is you're doing in my dungeons, Potter?"

"I'm escorting Miss Greengrass back to her common room before retiring to my dormitory, sir."

In the back of his mind, he thanked Daphne and her kiss for his ability to remain calm right now, but he seriously doubted he had the ability to feel any hot emotion at that point in time.

Snape's black eyes traveled curiously between them, and looked for a long moment on their interlocked arms. For a second, just a second, Harry thought he saw something like longing in the potion master's eyes. The next, he was sure he imagined it, because the sneer returned in full force.

"Hurry up about it then, and don't let me catch you heading anywhere you shouldn't be, Potter. I'm all too familiar with your tendency to roam about as if you own the place."

Harry felt his heart give a very miniscule lurch, as if it couldn't even summon the attempt to make him angry at the man's words, and instead he merely nodded and turned back to the common room. He heard Snape turn away from them and disappear into his classroom.

Daphne was about to give the password and enter, when someone called her name behind them. Harry turned, and saw Malfoy and Astoria heading towards them, arm-in-arm.

"Busy trying to lower our family's standard, sister mine?" asked Astoria, in a shocking good imitation of Malfoy.

"No dear Tori," said Daphne, adopting her Ice Queen face and voice. "I believe you and the ferret have that well under control."

"It must be sad," said Malfoy, drawing out the word. "To be brought down to Potter's level. I honestly pity you Astoria, having a sister such as this."

"Well," said Astoria, holding her nose in the air. "I suppose we can't choose our family, can we?"

Harry did his best to assume Daphne's tone and voice and turned to Malfoy.

"Fair choice of words, don't you think Draco? After all, who would choose to be the spawn of a death eater?"

"My father merely understands power will eventually be luck, you filthy half-blood!" spat Malfoy.

"Did you know your 'dark lord' was actually a half-blood too? Yeah, feel free to look up his parents from the records. His real name was Tom Riddle. Had a muggle father, as it would turn out."

This gave Malfoy pause, as he seemed to consider Harry's words. Of course, Malfoy had no way of knowing it, but Harry was absolutely right.

"That's a pathetic lie," said Astoria. "Why would a half-blood hold up blood purity?"

"Why indeed?" said Daphne to her little sister, her tone still very cold. "Tell me, Tori, are you hoping to support the band of rapists and murderers yourself now? I seem to recall you once called them a 'menace to all the civilized world,' wasn't it?"

Astoria screwed up her face and pulled Malfoy forward through the stone wall that lead into the Slytherin common room. Harry let out a long breath.

"Sorry about that," he said. "I hate that you and Astoria aren't getting along."

"Yeah," Daphne said, rubbing her arm softly. "Well, her life is her own, and if she wants to make a mistake with the man she's dating, I can't really stop her. All I can do is focus on my own life, and I'm increasing pleased with my man."

She ran her fingers through his hair, which made Harry shudder involuntarily. Daphne smiled at this and leaned forward, kissing him again. However, this time she pulled back immediately, and grinned at him, giving her pleased nod.

"Very pleased," she said. "Goodnight, Harry Potter."

"Goodnight, Daphne Greengrass."


	9. The Second Task

**A/N** : I just wanted to thank you all for the (mostly) kind reviews. This is just a project I'm writing because my original works are giving me a nasty case of writer's block and I've spent too long not writing anything, but it's been a fun little time-killer. So, I'm glad some people out there are enjoying the story, and that you've been kind enough to review and say so. Reviews are like coffee, writers need them to live.

Chapter 9: The Second Task

Harry sat down the great hall while Hermione went on ranting about Bagman. He'd offered to give Harry some help with the egg, and while Harry already had his solution, he was more curious in exactly _why_ Bagman had offered him help. Sure, he'd claimed that it was because Harry was the youngest competitor and he hadn't signed up, but Harry very much doubted that it was just out of the goodness of his heart.

He wanted to talk to Daphne about it, but she was still in charms with the Hufflepuffs. It was a little odd, but now that they'd kissed, he really did feel closer to her, and wanted to keep her close. Talking to her had become increasing easier, and more than once, he'd debated talking to her about the Dursleys, but he always pushed the idea away.

Best case scenario she'd just feel sorry for him, and worst case she'd be disgusted with him.

As he nodded to himself, he heard the doors open and he looked over to see Rita Skeeter walking into the hall.

"Disgraced ex-head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman! It's a good title, just need to find a story to fit it."

Harry had been working on his temper, he really had, but this woman pissed him off; and that was before he'd read Hagrid's article that meant he couldn't teach them anymore.

"Trying to ruin someone else's life?!" he called out to her, standing up as his fists were shaking.

"Harry!" hissed Hermione nervously. "Don't do it!"

Rita Skeeter whoever looked like she'd just stumbled upon a sack full of galleons.

"Harry, dear! How lovely! Why don't you come and join me for a spot of lunch?"

"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot-broomstick!" he shouted. "What did you go and do that to Hagrid for, eh?"

She sighed and pushed her glasses up.

"Readers have a right to the truth, Harry."

"So what though? There's nothing wrong with him! Who gives a damn if his mum was a giantess. He's never hurt anyone. If you've got such a big problem with someone due to blood you should go join Voldemort's little parade!"

She looked momentarily shocked, but recovered quickly, pulling out her quill and a piece of parchment.

"How about telling me about he Hagrid you know, Harry? The man behind the muscle, and all that?"

"I rather think you've caused enough trouble as it is," said a voice from the front door. "Harry, I believe you agreed to visit Hagrid with me, right?"

Harry looked and saw Daphne standing there, her Ice Queen face in full effect. He had to stop himself from grinning a mile wide. Of course, he hadn't promised her any such thing, but she was giving him an out and after reading the article he actually _did_ want to go and see the man.

The traveled down the cabin and Harry banged on the cabin door as hard as he could.

"Hagrid!" he called out. "Come on out. No one cares about what the stupid…" the door opened. "cow wrote about… Oh, hi sir."

Instead of Hagrid, Harry found himself staring at professor Dumbledore.

"Why don't you and your friends come in Harry?" he asked, kindly.

A month later, Harry found himself down by the edge of the lake, nervously adjusting his stance every minute or so. It was still very cold, but he was in a pair of swim shorts and a tank top because they were supposed to be swimming.

To his surprise, the bubble-head charm really hadn't been that hard for him to learn. He'd gotten it down in a week, so they'd spent the rest of the time since Christmas break teaching him to swim in the early hours of the morning. Luckily he'd already mastered warming charms or he was sure he would've frozen solid. Still, even with the warming charms the water was positively frigid.

Ron stood behind him, smiling broadly.

"Don't worry Harry," he said, trying to make him feel better. "You got past your dragon no problem didn't you? I reckon his will be just as good. What do you think they might've stolen anyway?"

Harry shrugged, wishing Daphne and Hermione were there. Where they might've gone, he had no idea, unless they'd simply overslept. He _had_ kept them out late last night going over the bubble-head charm again just to be safe. He supposed it wasn't impossible that they were still asleep, but it still hurt a little not to have them at his side. Ron had offered to go wake up Hermione, only discover it wasn't possible for him to get into her dormitory. Defeated they'd come down without her.

"Alright champions," came Ludo Bagman's voice. "I hope you're ready to recover what's been stolen from you, as you have one hour to retrieve it from the bottom of the lake. So then, on your marks, get set… go!"

There was a bang, not unlike a gunshot and Harry immediately cast both the warming charm and bubble-head charm on himself and dove into the water.

The second the water hit his chest he screamed aloud, but his voice came out strange and muffled. It took him several long seconds but he eventually got himself together and began to swim deeper and deeper into the dark waters.

He was grateful that Cedric had suggested the charm, because it allowed him to still cast spells properly and helped him see through the water, almost like a pair of goggles. Despite the fact that he was basically swimming in a lake full of ice water, he felt a pang of loss from his childhood. He clearly remembered the Dursleys taking Dudley to the pool or the beach, but he'd never been permitted to go, and certainly had never been swimming.

Swimming was wonderful and freeing. He mentally noted that he'd have to take this up when the water was warmer, because it was like flying without the broom… albeit a fair bit slower.

He cast lumos from his wand and looked down into the depths and immidaitely had to swim up to avoid a pack of grindylows that he hadn't seen in the water's depths. They reached towards him with long, spindly fingers and gnashed their teeth.

"Bombarda Maxima!" Harry shouted, shooting out the curse at any of the beasts that got too close.

The first one he hit was subject to several small explosions all over its body and the others swiftly understood to leave him alone. He swam deeper and deeper into the waters and to his surprise he eventually heard singing that sound very like what he'd heard coming for the egg when he'd put it under the water.

 _Your time's half-gone, so tarry not_

 _Lest what you seek stays here to rot._

That sent an unpleasant shiver through him, but he moved towards the throaty singing as fast as he could manage. To his surprise he came across Cedric and nearly cursed him out of reaction, only stopping himself a second before actually casting a spell.

"How you getting on then?" he asked smiling.

"I guess I owe you now," said Harry, smiling back at him.

"I think we can call it even. Reckon we're near the mermaids then?"

"Got to be, if we can hear the singing."

Cedric nodded and the pair moved forward together. As they moved still deeper into the lake, Harry sudden saw a huge statue with several merpeople standing guard with weapons. He was nervous at their presence then what he saw made his heart stop.

Daphne and Hermione were tied to the statue, along with Cho and a girl with silvery hair that he didn't recognize, but expected was probably related to Fleur.

Cedric saw Cho and darted forward, quickly severing her bonds before turning and glancing at the others. He appeared to be wrestling with a decision as Harry began to cut Daphne's bonds. He placed her on his shoulder and moved to Hermione's only to see the mermaids swim around him, pointing spears and swords in his direction.

"Only take your hostage!" they shouted in harsh voices. "Leave the others!"

"Like hell!" Harry shouted back. "She's my friend," he pointed to Hermione. "And I can't leave her to die either."

"Harry!" called Cedric down to him. "We can't fight them off and bring all of them to the surface. Besides, we haven't see Fleur or Krum yet!"

"I'm not leaving them here!" Harry growled at the Hufflepuff.

To his surprise the other boy nodded, pulling out his wand and looking towards the mermen. While he didn't say anything, his behavior was clear. Cedric had no more intention of leaving the others than Harry did. Luckily the mermen didn't seem keen to attack two wizards, so as long as they both stayed put, there was no battle.

Around ten minutes later, they saw Krum swimming up and it was only due to Cedric that Harry didn't jinx him. He'd transfigured himself into a terrifying figure of a half-shark, and upon seeing Hermione, he swam forward very quickly, chopping at her bonds. Harry panicked and moved to cut her free himself so that Krum didn't accidently hurt her. To his relief the moment she was free, Krum swam towards the surface with her.

Still Cedric and he waited at the bottom of the lake. Harry had mentally been keeping track of roughly how much time they had left and figured there was only about ten minutes or so. He glanced around again but didn't see Fleur anywhere.

"What now?" he asked Cedric.

"Even if she gets here soon, she'll be hard-pressed to actually get the girl and get back up the surface and I can't spot her. Reckon you can hold off some of these mermen if I can carry the girls up with me?"

"Can you carry three?"

"I won't be very fast, but I doubt the little girl weighs much and I can use the levitation charm to move them with me. I just need you to make sure I don't end up with any extra holes in me."

Harry nodded and looked right into the Hufflepuff's face before saying, "Cedric… thank you. I know you don't have to do this, and I doubt the other champions would."

"I'm a Hufflepuff," Cedric said, simple. "Loyalty and hard work, Harry!"

At that, they both moved forward as Harry handed Daphne to him and he cut the little girl free the mermen flew into action, swimming towards him.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta!" Harry shouted, sending curses at any of the mermen he could see while Cedric began to move upwards. "Bombarda! Stupefy!"

They flew up, and Harry did everything he could to make sure the mermen were kept far away from Cedric. It wasn't easy, and Cedric wasn't lying when he said that the extra hostages would slow him down. Nevertheless, as the water changed to a lighter blue color, the mermen fell back and Harry let out a long sigh of relief, nursing a small cut on his shoulder from one of their spears.

"Cedric!" he called. "I think we're good!"

"Great!" said Cedric. "Give me a hand then."

Harry joined him and together the two Hogwarts champions broke the surface of the water, and when Harry saw the timer that had been displayed, his heart sank a little. They'd missed the window by ten minutes.

As soon as the air hit their faces, Daphne, Cho and the French girl all awoke and Daphne was the first to put everything together.

"Harry!" she all but shouted. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry! I didn't know! It was all…"

Harry kissed her swiftly and smiled at her.

"It's ok, Daphne. We got you out just fine. It's all ok."

Still, even as he said it, Harry couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with Dumbledore and the other heads of the schools. Daphne and the others could've been seriously hurt… but they wouldn't have just let that happen, right?


	10. She Deserves to Know

Chapter 10: She Deserves to Know

"Well Harry," said Sirius. "Can't say it was the way I'd have done things, but you came through the task quite alright didn't you?"

"Knowing you, Sirius, I'll take that as a deepest of compliments," Harry said, passing the older man a loaf a bread and some meat.

Sirius held a hand to chest, pretending to be in pain and falling to the stone floor.

"Oh dear prongslet! How you've wounded me! This is it, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!"

"I had wondered where your dramatics came from," said Daphne, smirking. "Like godfather, like godson, is it?"

Harry smiled and her and Daphne looked over and winked at him. Sirius rose from the floor and he and Harry broke into laughter.

"So then, how are you two doing, still in the puppy love stage?"

Harry smirked at him.

"Are you seriously interested, or are you just making dog puns?"

"I'm always Sirius."

Harry groaned.

" _That_ was bad."

Sirius looked slightly abashed.

"Ah, I'm out of practice. Honestly though, I'm glad you kids are together. Heavens knows Harry needs a girl to show him how to have some fun."

"She's been great," said Harry, smiling. "I'm actually happy… I can't remember the last time someone held me like she can."

Saying this brought a pained look to Sirius' face, but Harry didn't mention it. No matter how many times he had told the old man that he didn't blame him, Sirius always seemed to regret Harry's upbringing. All-in-all though, Harry was just happy that things seemed to be getting better now.

"Can't relax too much though," said Sirius. "Whoever's put you in this thing isn't done yet. No one would go through the effort of illegally entering you in a tournament for no reason. If it were someone else, I'd be cautious, as it's _you_ I'm checking under every rock I can kick over while staying hidden. If I could clear my name, I'd be able to do more, but as it is…"

"We understand Sirius," said Daphne, rubbing Harry's back softly. "I'm sure I speak for Harry when I say we'd rather you are around even if you can't figure out exactly what's going on."

Harry nodded and moved to Sirius, and hugged the man as hard as he could. Sirius hugged him back and Harry couldn't help tearing up. He couldn't help but feel like his uncle would pull Sirius away from him and tell him that he wasn't worth of love from anyone. That he was merely a no-good freak and deserved to be locked up.

It had been keeping him awake at night even more that his burning scar. Lately he hadn't been able to sleep more than a couple hours a night. It reminded him of his days before Hogwarts, and long sleepness nights in his cupboard under the stairs, nursing burns or wounds from the day's punishments.

He shook the thoughts from his head before they threatened to overwhelm him. Sirius clearly saw Harry's pain, but didn't say anything about it. Like Daphne, he understood that Harry didn't like to talk about things that bothered him. He was a private person and always had been since he'd not been allowed to ask questions growing up. Instead Harry usually internalized everything unless it made him really angry.

Later as they were walking back into the Hogwarts halls, Harry pulled Daphne to the side and embraced her. He couldn't say how much it meant to him that she was there for him. He couldn't tell her how much he loved knowing that she cared about him and how it made him feel to just she her in the morning. He couldn't voice the fact that her presence lifted an entire world of darkness off him, so he tried to put it into his hug.

There was a bit of an alternative motive as well. He had finally made the choice to tell her about the Dursleys. She should know why he couldn't stand being touched. She deserved to understand, no matter how much he didn't want to say it.

"Can we find somewhere to talk?" he asked softly.

He felt her nod against him and she pulled him into an empty classroom before locking the door and casting the silence spell on the door so that no one would hear them.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked, worried. "Not that I didn't appreciate the hug but… You don't normally initiate contact like that."

Harry nodded and removed his robes, pacing up and down quickly.

"I wanted to say… To tell you that I… This is a really hard thing to do."

"Take your time," she said, gently. "I'm not going anywhere. Nothing you say is going to make me run away."

Harry took a long breath, and couldn't help but hear his uncle's voice in his hears.

 _Freak._

"You know I was raised by muggles, right?"

She nodded.

"Your mother's sister and brother-in-law, I believe?"

"Right," he said, harsher than he meant to. "I didn't know magic existed until my eleventh birthday. I knew that I was… different. I'd done a few cases of accidental magic, but I didn't know that's what it was."

"They didn't tell you anything?" she asked gently.

"No. My aunt and uncle like things… normal. It's an obsession with them. In all my time I never heard my aunt talk about mum… or what happened to them. I asked once what happened to them, and she told me they died in a car crash, and then told me never to ask another question."

"You couldn't ask questions?"

Harry shook his head.

"It was rule one… there were a lot of rules. I used to keep a list but I lost it once I came here. Anyway, I think my aunt and uncle only saw me as my mum's kid and always tried to stop me from being magical at all. I remember that once I mentioned a dream I had about a flying motorcycle, my uncle immediately shouted at me and I was just glad I was locked in my… That I wasn't punished."

"Harry," she said, moving closer. "What did they do when they punished you?"

"Usually they'd lock me in my room and not feed me, sometimes it was a bit more… drastic."

He reached down and removed his shirt, turning his back to her and he felt her stiffen, although she made no noise. He knew that even in the dim light she could see the scars and burns that were there.

"Everytime I messed up, everytime I did magic, everytime something went wrong, I was punished."

It was getting easier to talk now that he'd already said the beginning. Now he wasn't sure he could stop explaining even if he'd wanted to.

"My cousin was encouraged to hit me and I was always treated as scum in their house. The best way I can put it is like this. When I had to think of a thought to make a patronus, Lupin told me to think of the happiest memory I could possibly come up with. I settled on the day I got my letter, and I realized I could leave them… it was the best memory I had, up until the Yule Ball."

"Harry…"

"I can remember that until I went to primary school, I thought my name was actually _freak_ because that's all my uncle ever called me. My room for ten years was a cupboard under the stairs and they would lock me in it every night to keep me out of trouble and I had to sneak food just to get by. I think they hoped I would just die one night, but it never happened."

Daphne moved up to him and Harry turned to look at her. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were watering and she immediately pulled him into a hug. He felt her fingers laying across several the marks on his back and he knew she could feel them.

"Listen to me, Harry Potter. Your aunt and uncle are horrible people, and they were wrong about you. You are a wonderful person and I have always admired you. I have. Even from our first year at Hogwarts, everyone wanted to see what the great Harry Potter was like, but you were so shy and quiet I knew that you weren't like Malfoy, brought up to believe you were great. You were soft and kind and treated everyone equally, regardless of where they came from."

"I… I mean…"

"Then you proved that you didn't care about putting yourself in danger when you recovered Longbottom's rememberall. You braved Voldemort to stop him from getting the Sorcerer's Stone. You found the Chamber of Secrets and slew the basilisk. You rescued Sirius and stopped him from committing murder merely because he was your father's friend. You've never once blamed someone for the actions of their past, and you are a damn good person. That's the reason I wanted to get to know you. You are incredible, and not because you survived the killing curse, or because of what you can do… but because of who you are. I love that about you, Harry Potter, and I love you."

"You… love me?"

He'd imagined the words before, but he couldn't explain what he was feeling when she said them. They hurt his heart in a way he didn't think they would. He didn't know why it hurt, but it did, as surely as if she'd stabbed him.

"I love you Harry. You are loving and caring and brave. You'd do anything for the people you love Harry. I know that, so does Hermione and Sirius. Ginny and Ron know it too. Your friends all know how remarkable you are Harry, and I love you for it. I would never hold what they did to you against you."

He hugged her back and cried softly, unable to stop himself. He'd opened one of the most vulnerable pieces of himself, and she loved him. He didn't have the words or actions to express the importance of that.

"I… I want to love you too, Daphne, but I don't… I don't understand it."

She shushed him softly.

"That's what I'm here for, Harry. I'm here to show you how to love someone and I will be with you every single step of the way. Don't you dare try and leave me out of that, ok? And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"It means the world to me that you trust me enough to tell me this. I promise, I won't breathe a word of this to anyone else. However, should I meet your uncle or aunt… I may kill them."

She said the last four words with a fury he'd never seen in her and it caused him to leap back a little.

"Hermione told me that they put bars in your window before second year, and I knew then that things were… hard between them and you, but I never imagined that anyone could be that horrid to a child. I admit I do not _want_ to meet your uncle or aunt, because I do not want to hurt them and indirectly hurt you. However, I doubt I would be able to hold the desire back. However, I want to make a promise to you Harry. I won't tell them what you told me, but I will do all I can to make sure you never to within one hundred years of either of those… people ever again."

He gave a sad smile at her, and dully noted that there was likely nothing she could do. He'd begged Dumbledore each and every year not to go back to the Dursleys, but the headmaster had repeatedly sent him back there, no matter what he'd said. Daphne gave him the time to recompose and dress himself and then she walked with him back to Gryffindor tower, holding his hand the whole. When they reached the portrait, she kissed him softly.

"I love you," she said. "And when you're ready Harry, you'll love me too. Until then, rest and prepare for your third task."


	11. Voldemort

**A/N:** I'm playing with Voldemort's character a bit in this because I honestly dislike him as a villain. He has very little characterization and I always felt there was an opportunity to have an interesting parallel with him, so yeah… not so much changing his actions as the reasons for them and the ultimate goal.

Chapter 11: Voldemort

Harry stood before the giant spider he and Cedric had stunned, breathing hard and he looked up at the Hufflepuff, then over at the cup.

"You take it," said Cedric. "You should win Harry. That's three times you saved my neck in this damn tournament."

"That's not how it's supposed to work," said Harry, looking down at his leg and scowling. "The one who get's to the cup first is supposed to win, that's you, right?"

"You helped me with the dragons."

"You helped _me_ with the bubble head charm. We're square. Not to mention you helped me with the people during the second task. There was no way I would've gotten them all up to the surface alone."

"I would've left them without you."

"Just take the damn cup, Cedric."

"No."

Harry stared at him and he realized Cedric was being serious. He really wasn't going to take it. For a second, he imagined what it would be like to walk out of the maze, victorious. The whole school would see him… it would be the-boy-who-lived all over again. He shuddered angrily. However, Cedric seemed determined not to have it, and Harry was forcibly reminded of how Cedric had tried to call off their match last year in the name of fair play.

"I don't want to win," he said just loud enough for Cedric to hear. "I really don't. I just wanted to have a normal year and enjoy this tournament and cheer _you_ on. I don't want people talking about me again."

"I get that," said Cedric. "More than you know. Remember our match last year? I couldn't go anywhere for weeks without people congratulating me on finally beating Harry Potter, the unstoppable seeker. You saw what my dad was like this summer. I _hated_ it; hated every damn second of it."

"Why?"

"Because I _didn't_ beat you. You got thrown off your broom by those dementors and I caught the snitch while you were plummeting towards the ground. That's not a win, Harry. It's unsporting. If I had actually beaten you, yeah I probably would've bragged a fair bit, but I didn't. I beat no one. I beat nothing. That's not a victory."

"So what?"

"So, I would've been out of this thing long ago if it wasn't for you. If I take that damn cup people are going to tell me about how I beat Harry Potter again, and just like last time, it'll be wrong. I can't do that. Don't get me wrong Harry, I wanted to win, but not like this."

"Well Fleur and Krum are both out, so unless you have a better idea."

Cedric thought about it for a long moment then smiled.

"Both of us."

"What?"

"It's still a Hogwarts win, ain't it? We both got each other this far. I'd still rather you win this thing, but if you're determined on it, let's do it together."

Before Harry could protest, Cedric helped him over to the cup and held out his hand.

"One… Two… Three…"

They both touched the cup at the same time and Harry felt the terrible jerk behind his navel that he now knew to be associated with a portkey.

They landed moments later in a small graveyard, and they both looked around nervously.

"Where are we, you reckon?" asked Cedric.

"Dunno," said Harry. "Can't be near Hogwarts though, I can't even see the mountains you can see from the school."

"Right… Reckon this is part of the task then?"

"I don't think so. Wands out, I think."

Cedric nodded and went to pull his out just a mousy voice broke through the night air.

"Incarcerous."

Both he and Cedric found themselves bound up with thick ropes. He couldn't move his wand an inch, even if he could see who attacked them. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him by the hair and drag him towards one of the graves and they conjured more cord to tie him to the headstone.

"Cedric!" he called out, worried.

"I'm alright!" he called back, struggling. "Just hang on now Harry! Just hang on!"

Harry tried to twist his wand enough to cast the cutting curse, and then the hooded figure disarmed him and Cedric. He groaned and slumped back against the rock, utterly convinced he was about to die.

The hooded figure paid them no mind, but began working on a large caldron with some sort of ritual that was far beyond anything he'd ever seen or heard of. He heard Cedric struggling with his binds, and a small piece of him hoped that the Hufflepuff might free himself until the hooded figured turned and stunned him.

Then Harry saw his face.

"Wormtail!" he shouted. "You traitorous little…"

"It is ready master," said Wormtail.

" _Now,_ " said a small voice.

Harry recognized it, but would've given everything he had to be wrong. He'd heard it at the Dursley's that summer when he'd witness the muggle being killed. He knew, no matter how hard his wished he were wrong, that this was Voldemort.

Wormtail continued preforming his ritual, and Harry almost threw up when he suddenly pulled out a long silver dagger and cut off a second finger from his hand. Then the death eater went to Harry and dug the knife into his arm. Harry let out a small grunt of pain as the knife cut into his body. He'd hard much longer punishments than this, but the knife was something _designed_ to cut into a person.

"Blood of the enemy," said Wormtail, shaking. "Unwilling given, you will revive your foe."

 _Please,_ Harry prayed, although he didn't know who to. _Please let it have gone wrong, let it drown!_

However, a huge pile of smoke billowed out from the cauldron and a tall, skeletal figure rose from the cauldron, pulling a set of robes on itself. Harry looked at the figure and felt his heart fall into his stomach. The face was completely hairless and white as a skull. His eyes were blood red and the nose was flat with slits like a snake's. It was Voldemort.

"Ah," he said, slowly running his hands along his features. "Hold out your arm, Wormtail."

"My lord," whimpered Wormtail. "Please!"

Voldemort grabbed the man's arm and touched a long finger to the mark made upon Wormtail's forearm, which turned red-hot for a moment and the rat-faced wizard let out a scream that chilled Harry to the bone. For a long moment, no one moved and Voldemort slowly turned to look at Harry, and he could never understand the look on the dark lord's face. It wasn't anger or mirth… It was… oddly sorrowful.

"Harry Potter," said the skeletal man. "I regret that it's come to this… I wish I had been in my right mind when we met one another three years ago. Much of this unpleasantness could've been avoided. You could've been standing beside me, instead of against me."

"Go to hell!" Harry growled.

Voldemort nodded, as if in response to something only he understood.

"You're angry with me Harry, and you've every right to be. I understand why you hate me, but you must understand what I'm trying to do."

His voice was very like a snake, low and slithering. It wormed it's way into his head like a drill through the ear.

"You want to kill muggles and muggle-borns," said Harry.

"No. No I do not… I know it seems hard to understand from your place, Harry but I honestly do not like killing others. I do it because it is what I need to do to bring about change. But no, I don't want to kill muggle-borns or even muggles. What I want more than anything Harry, is to make wizards and magic accepted again."

That made Harry pause.

"I don't believe you."

"I understand," he said, drawing out the word. "I wouldn't believe me if I were you, either. However, it's true. I dislike the fact that wizards and witches are hated and hurt for what they are. Tell me, Harry, you were raised by muggles, yes?"

Harry growled.

"Yes."

"So, tell me. Once you learned you had magic, did they accept you? Were you loved? Did they accept your place in the world and encourage you along your new path?"

Harry looked down, unable to come up with a good reply.

"I know what happened to you, Harry."

"Stop using my name," Harry growled at him.

"I saw every bit of pain, every beating, every hurtful word… They thought of you as a lower being, didn't they? You were nothing, just a _freak_ …"

"What do you know about it?" he growled, trying to kick out, but his feet were tied tight.

"More than you'd think," said Voldemort sadly. "I was also born a half-blood, Harry. My father was not unlike your muggle relatives. I distinctly remember that I once accidently conjured a stream of water, and he tried to drown me in it."

Harry turned away, but couldn't deny that it reminded him slightly of his uncle's reactions towards his own accidental magic.

"And you and I are not special cases, Harry. You've studied some muggle history, so I can assume you learned of the Salem witch trials? To be burned at the stake, merely because you possessed magic. We have been beaten, burned, drowned merely because of a talent that we possess. My father went so far as to kill my mother after my birth because he hated magic."

"You're lying."

"Why would I do such a thing?" asked Voldemort. "But perhaps… perhaps you need to see what I saw. I had rather thought seeing your family's reactions would've shown you enough… But perhaps you don't understand. Why is the wizarding world hidden Harry?"

Harry waited, but it seemed Voldemort wanted an actual answer from him.

"Ha—They told me that everyone would want magical solutions to problems."

"And would that be so bad. Imagine what wizards could do for the world! Would hunger could be irradiated! Pollution could be vanished and we could show them so many potions and cures! No Harry, we are not hidden because people would want solutions. We're hidden because we are hunted. We are _hated._ "

"So that makes killing ok?"

"We've tried more diplomatic methods, of course!" said Voldemort, holding up a hand. "We had witches and magic users try and open the minds of muggles but its always seen as something freaky, demonic and horrible. No, muggles only understand one thing, which is violence and death."

"That's not true!"

"So you've convinced your family then, have you? You tell them about your classes, or the impressive things you can do? How proud are they of their little _freak_?"

"Others aren't like them!"

"But they are!" Voldemort said firmly. "My own family is proof enough, and just look at the muggle's own history. At least three times they have nearly brought the entire world to brink of extinction merely due to fighting amongst themselves. We cannot befriend muggles, Harry. No, we cannot make friends, however idealistically wholesome that sounds. Nor can we remain hidden for long. The pureblood family's are a hair's breath from inbreeding as it is and there are fewer and fewer wizards every year. We need to be brought into the public eye and if they cannot understand us, they will fear and respect us. Perhaps centuries down the line there can be partnership, but not now."

"You've killed so many people! You killed my parents!"

Voldemort looked at him and again, Harry saw regret in the dark wizard's face.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I have. What I'm doing is opposed by the wizarding world, no matter how much I wish otherwise. It has caused a war, and there is no war without fighting and in fighting some people die. Would I that it were not the case, but such things are required for a change."

"You tried to kill me."

"I did. There is a prophesy, Harry Potter, about you and I. It says, in so many words, that you would bring about my downfall if I didn't stop you. I admit in my panic, I did something terrible. I am not proud of it. It was… will be a war, and I saw you as an obstacle in the way of my goal, and I could not let it come to pass. Do you think I enjoy using people like Lucius Malfoy? I do not. I detest him. However, this is a fight and I cannot pick and choose my supporters Harry."

"I'll never support you!" Harry growled, trying to kick out again.

He couldn't deny that there was a certain sense in what Voldemort said, but he also knew his limits and he would never do what Voldemort had done to achieve acceptance for the muggle world.

"I do not expect that you can understand it now, Harry. You are young, and full of idealistic behavior and hope. So was I at your age. I intended to be a mediator between the magical world and the muggle world… but it cannot happen Harry. We will never be understood before we're brought to the brink of extinction, and by that time they would rather kill us. I cannot allow that to happen, even if that means war and death."

Harry thought back to his aunt and uncle: every beating, every long night locked in his cupboard, every hated word, every _freak_. Perhaps Voldemort had a bit of a point… Maybe magic _would_ never be accepted by the muggle world. Still he could never do what the dark lord had done. He could never kill people like he did, and refused to give in.

"I won't follow you. I'll stand against you, no matter what."

Voldemort had a pained look on his face, but he pointed his wand at both Harry and Cedric.

"So I can see… very well. You may both stand and fight then."

Harry felt the bonds holding him to the headstone release and his wand landed by his feet.


	12. Returns

Chapter 12: Returns

Harry ducked behind one of the headstones as he heard Voldemort's curse _crack_ against the stone. He turned to Cedric, who was bleeding from a head wound, but still up and fighting. Harry fired off two stunning curses, which Voldemort easily deflected.

"You will need to do better than that," he called out, pacing through the graves.

"Alright there Harry?" Cedric asked, trying to smile, but the motion never reaching his eyes.

"Alive," he replied, looking at his burned left hand and peeking over the gravestone to fire another jinx at the dark lord. "Any ideas?"

"If we can get back to the cup, reckon it'd take us back to Hogwarts?"

"Probably," said Harry, ducking down to avoid another blow. "But dunno if we could, not without getting cursed."

"Come on out boys," said Voldemort, shooting another spell at them. "I promise I won't prolong the move. Dying could even be painless, I wouldn't truly know. I've never died."

"Summon the cup, Harry."

"What about you?" asked Harry, worried.

"Hurry now! No time to talk!" said Cedric before steadying himself.

His face grew grim for a second before he smiled brightly and winked at Harry. Then, he stood up tall and aimed right at the dark wizard.

"Bombarda Maxima!" shouted Cedric.

Voldemort deflected the curse and Cedric rolled away, landing only feet from Harry, who moved to try and get a clear line of sight on the portkey that had brought them here.

"Sort of died once!" shouted Cedric, who apparently felt far braver than Harry did, as he fired off another curse. "Same kid who did it to you is here, too!"

Voldemort sent a curse towards Cedric, who dove out of the way.

"Tell me! Did you dying before take away the nose, or were you born without it?"

"Crucio!" shouted Voldemort, showing anger for the first time since they'd appeared in the graveyard. "You insolent little brat! You don't understand the call for a greater world!"

Harry finally had a clear line of sight to the cup and pointed his wand at it.

"Accio portkey!" he shouted. "Cedric!"

Cedric ran to Harry as quick as his feet could carry him, dodging a stream of curses. Right as he reached Harry, the cup finished its flight towards them. He turned to look at Harry and right as their eyes locked, Harry saw a jet of green lightning hit Cedric right in the back. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for a few seconds.

Harry saw the lights leave Cedric's eyes, and Hufflepuff boy slumped over Harry's shoulder, still smiling at him.

"CEDRIC!"

At that second the portkey activated and they vanished. The travel was almost instantaneous, but Harry felt like it took years, all the while his dead friend was hanging off of him, unable to do anything. They landed near the quidditch stands and Harry instantly screamed, not knowing or caring who was around him.

It took a few seconds for people to understand who had suddenly appeared before them, and a few more for anyone to come check on him and Cedric. Once they did, the word slowly got out. Harry Potter had reappeared, and Cedric Diggory was dead. Unable to control himself, unable to do anything, Harry wept, clinging to Cedric's body.

"You stupid, stupid idiot," he mumbled. "Why'd you have to fucking fight him?!"

Cedric could not and did not answer. At that moment, he felt a set of rough hands grab him and he turned to see Mad-eye Moody half-walking half-carrying him back towards the castle.

"Come on now lad!"

"But Cedric…"

"Nothing you can do for him now, Potter. We need to see to you."

* * *

An hour later, Harry stood in Professor Dumbledore's office, tears still streaming down his face.

"Professor… where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?"

"They are with Professor Sprout… she was Cedric's head of house… and knew him best."

Harry sat in one of the armchairs and placed his head in his hands, shaking against his will.

"There was nothing you could've done Harry. Almost no one lived once Voldemort decided to kill them. That you even escaped is remarkable."

"I… I made him take the cup, and he fought Voldemort off so that I could… I could get the cup… I think he knew he was going to die."

"Harry, you cannot blame yourself for this. Cedric did what he knew to be right and he…"

"And he died," said Harry, firmly. "He's dead, professor. My mum and dad are dead, Cedric's dead. I don't want to see more people die just so I get away!"

"Harry," said Dumbledore, gently. "You cannot make the choices of those around you. You did not force Cedric to defend you, and I doubt you could've stopped him if you'd tried. You did not know that Voldemort awaited you when you took the cup. You had no way of stopping his death. There is only one person to blame for Cedric's passing, and that is Voldemort."

Harry stood and kicked the headmaster's desk, hard.

"This is such shit!" he shouted. "Why is me, professor? Why? I… I need to know. Now. I should've known from my first year, and you said I would know when I'm older. I don't like this, but I do need to know now."

"Harry, my boy, you are still only fourteen…"

"And I've just fought Voldemort! He told me about the prophecy too I think I deserve to know what the hell he's talking about."

Dumbledore sighed and pulled out his pensive.

"I suppose you are, quite right Harry. I would not choose to tell you this when you are still so young in life, but… it is important that you know it, I suppose. Please understand Harry, that if there was anything I could do to change things, I would."

"Me too professor," Harry said. "I would've died a hundred times over to save Cedric."

"I know you would Harry, please do not suffer under the delusion that you are the only one who lives with the regrets of the dead on their shoulders."

Harry looked at the old wizard, confused. When he saw Dumbledore in that moment, he suddenly seemed much, much older. As if he'd aged a hundred years in the span of a second. The next moment, Harry felt sure he'd imagined it, because the headmaster looked just as he always had.

Dumbledore tapped the memories in his pensive twice and the form of Trelawney rose from the basin.

* * *

That night Harry spent the evening in the hospital wing, no matter how much he tried to avoid it. Daphne was there the moment Madam Pomfrey stopped fussing over him, and she embraced him, which hurt his heart all the more.

He'd heard the prophecy, in it's entirety, and now he knew. He knew that it didn't matter what he said or did. It didn't matter what he learned, who he met, or what he tried. Ultimately, it would come down to him or Voldemort. There really was no other way that it could be.

To top it off he was going back to the Dursleys… Maybe death by Voldemort could be a relief from that if nothing else.

Still, he knew this meant he would have to break things off with Daphne. Cedric was all-too perfect an example of what happened to those who were with him, and he couldn't stand it if anyone else died because of him. No matter what Dumbledore said about choice, Harry couldn't allow others to die because they were near him.

"I was so worried about you," Daphne whispered into his ear. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

She kissed his cheek and pulled away, still holding his hand. Harry found he was starting to cry again. He didn't want to leave Daphne. He didn't want to abandon Ron and Hermione either. He didn't want to push Tracey and Neville out of his life.

Neville… how easily the prophesy could've meant him. He'd been spared Harry's life… to a degree maybe, now that Harry knew what had happened to his parents. Still, he couldn't let anyone get hurt. He could almost see the dead bodies of Tracey, Ron and Hermione lying around him. He could see Daphne, lifeless and smiling just like Cedric. Shuddering, he pulled his hand from her grasp.

"Harry?" she asked, confused.

Harry looked into her beautiful eyes, and reached up to touch her cheek, feeling her incredibly soft skin under his fingertips.

"Daphne… we need to break up."

The words hurt him, but they were nothing compared to the tears that showed up in Daphne's blue orbs.

"W…what?"

"Voldemort's going to come after me, now that he's back. It's going to get bad… really bad. I can't let you get hurt. I can't… handle that. You'll be far safer away from me."

Understanding shown in her face, and she glared daggers at him.

"Absolutely not."

"Daphne, you don't understand…"

"No Harry, you don't understand! I love you, Harry Potter. I want to be with you, dark lord or no dark lord. I've faced bigger assholes than him in my common room! You really think I would turn away from the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me just because of Voldemort?"

He closed his eyes and wrung his hands together.

"Daphne I can't lose you too!"

"So don't push me away," she said, placing her hands on his head and forcing him to look at her. "Harry I can't stand being away from you, and if you don't want to lose me… stay with me… please."

"I… I can't."

"Then you damn well better have a better reason than a dark wizard, because I refuse to accept that. There's only one thing I care about, Harry Potter! Do you love me?"

He looked at her, and opened his mouth slowly. He could lie. He could just lie to her, but as soon as the idea crossed his mind, he rejected it. She could always tell when he was lying anyway.

"Yes."

"Then don't you dare try and leave me behind. Voldemort will try and kill anyone opposing him Harry, and I intend to do that whether you're being hunted or not. So you really only have one question you have to ask yourself. Do you want to hurt me for no decent reason?"

"No! Of course not, but…"

"No buts Harry. I love you and you love me and that's better than anything he can _ever_ do. How was it Dumbledore said it? Death is just the next great adventure? Well, to me that makes love far more powerful than death, and I have no intention on giving you up without one hell of a fight."

"But you'll be in danger…"

"Harry James Potter," she said, looking him dead in the eye. "What house am I in?"

"Slytherin."

"Which is the house of what?"

"Cunning and ambition."

"Precisely. We do anything we can to achieve our goals. My goal is you. I don't know what that means in the future. Perhaps we could drift apart in a couple years or perhaps we'll end up married one day, but it certainly does not include your leaving me for a dark lord. I promise you this, if you try and end our relationship on behalf of him again, I will use every ounce of that cunning and ambition to make you so into me that you'll never be able to give me up. Now, that's the last we'll talk about that. You're going to kiss me and hold me and let all tonight's shit pass away. We'll handle it all in the morning."

Harry looked at her, waiting for her to break, but she seemed completely serious. So, he mentally sighed and kissed her softly on the lips and leaned back in the bed while she climbed in it next to him, and pulled one his arms around her.

He still didn't know what to do, but he felt pretty sure Daphne wouldn't let him do it without her.


	13. Going Back

**A/N** : Don't worry. This is the last chapter of the GoF year, but I'm not done with the story yet. I don't know how far this will go, but I have no intentions of stopping just yet.

Chapter 13: Going Back

Harry sighed as the Hogwarts express continued to move down the tracks, carrying them through the countryside. He never liked the ride back to London, because it was too clearly a reminder of where he was going back to… the Dursleys. Dumbledore had told him about the blood wards, and the protection the house granted him.

Harry had been on the verge of tell Dumbledore about his upbringing there, but once again his nerve failed him. Daphne knew, and that was already one more than he'd wanted to let in on it. Still, she'd kept true to her word when she'd promised not to tell anyone. He was sure Hermione still suspected something, and Ron might given that he'd actually pulled the bars off Harry's window one year, but they didn't know about all of it, and he wanted to keep it that way.

They had to be getting close to London because the grasslands and mountains were disappearing to smaller cities and towns. He tensed up involuntarily, and Daphne reached over, grabbing his hand without a word.

"Well for my part," said Hermione. "I agree with Daphne, Harry. You get to make your choices, and we'll respect them as we always have, but you don't get to make our choices."

Harry hadn't had the heart to tell them about the prophecy, rather he'd just told them that Voldemort wouldn't stop hunting him until he was dead, which wasn't a lie, exactly. He'd half-hoped they would have more self-preservation than Daphne had, but no such luck. Ron and Tracey nodded, while Neville gripped his armrest hard enough to leave an imprint on it.

"No one would blame you if you disagree, Neville," said Harry.

"It's not that," said Neville. "I'm just… dealing with something mentally. Voldemort and his supporters took a lot from a lot of people and all that."

Hermione and Ron nodded, but Tracey reached over and almost imperceptibly placed her hand on his. Harry briefly wondered if Tracey also knew what he knew about Neville's parents. They'd been together, although not so publicly as he and Daphne, ever since the Yule Ball, so it was possible Neville had told her.

He had to admit that Tracey had been good for the Gryffindor boy. Neville still was a nervous wreck at times, but he'd grown slightly more confident, at least around his friends.

At that moment, their compartment door opened and Harry felt Daphne tense up as if battle were about to break out. He looked up and saw Astoria. Instinctually, he looked around for Malfoy, but didn't see the blonde pounce anywhere.

"I…" she began in a very small voice. "I was wondering if I might have a word with my sister please."

"Of course," said Hermione standing. "Ron, Tracey, Neville? I believe we could still catch the lunch cart if we go towards the front of the train."

They made to move but Harry stayed where he was, looking to Daphne as a question. Daphne gripped his hand slightly tighter, which he took as instruction to stay.

"This is more of a delicate matter," said Astoria, looking softly at Harry.

"Which is why he's staying," said Daphne, firmly.

Astoria sighed and nodded, sitting across from Daphne.

"I… I'm so sorry Daphne. I've been a total and complete bitch this year."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't know what he'd expected, but an apology certainly hadn't been on his list.

"What's brought this realization about?" asked Daphne, maintaining the Ice Queen face.

Astoria reached into her pocket and withdrew a handkerchief, with she used to dab at her eyes. Harry looked closely and saw that the tears were actually real.

"Malfoy and his damn friends were taunting Cedric… after… after what happened. I knew he was… a bit calloused at times, but I didn't think he would ever do that."

"Astoria," Daphne said softly. "Why were you even with him?"

"He's used to our society and well-off," she said, softly. "I know that sort of stuff has never mattered at much to you, but we're going to be involved in the wizarding world Daphne, one way or another. He understood it and I figured he would grow out of his superiority and I could sort of… groom him, you know?"

"So, that's a reason to insult your own sister?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow. "You said some pretty terrible things."

"I know," she said. "I _wanted_ to hurt her because… I… Damn it all, I was jealous of you, Daphne I have been ever since you two started hanging out."

Daphne's face broke and she looked confused.

"What do you mean you were jealous of me? You could've been friends with us all just as easily as Tracey or Neville…"

"Not like that. I knew you two would end up together. It was obvious just by looking at you. They way you kept stealing glances at him, or how you were the only one Harry would voluntarily get close to. I figured you two would be together long before the ball. But once you actually started dating… it hurt. I felt like I was losing you and losing _to_ you all at once. I was scared and hurt, so I wanted to hurt you too."

"Astoria…"

"I don't have a defense for it. I was being a complete idiot. I'm so, so sorry Daphne. I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm desperately hoping you'll give me one."

Daphne let go of Harry's hand and knelt before her sister.

"I can never agree with your taste in men, little sister," she said, before placing her arms around her. "But you will always be my little sister and I will always love you. I may have someone new in my life, but that doesn't mean I'm pushing you out of it."

Astoria threw her arms around Daphne and Harry saw she was crying again, and he looked out of the window, staying silent. After a few minutes, they broke apart and Astoria wiped her face again.

"I um… I think I'm going to go back to my compartment now."

"You can stay with us, if you'd prefer. Right Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"Of course."

"Thanks, but I think I'd like to have some time to compose myself before reaching the station. I'll be sure to see you once you come home and I'm sure I'll be more myself by that time."

She stood and closed the door behind her. Once Daphne sat down again, she wrapped her arms around him and sighed, contentedly.

"What'd she mean, 'once you get back?' You taking a trip somewhere?"

"Oh yes, I suppose I hadn't told you yet. Well, once you explained why you had to return to the Dursleys, I admit I was… angry. I promised you I would do whatever it took to get you out of there, and I can't."

"I don't blame you for that, Daphne. I know you talked to your folks about it. In another situation, maybe it would've worked, but now that Dumbledore's actually explained why I need to go there… I understand. I wish I'd never gone there before, but they don't hurt me now, and logically speaking, it's where I'm safest. I should go there, at least long enough to keep up the blood wards."

"I'm actually still a bit put off with the headmaster about that."

"I can't pretend I like it," said Harry, frowning. "But I can also understand it. Again, Dumbledore used to fighting dark wizards. I wish he'd told me everything before, but I can understand why he didn't. Still, if I'd known everything, I'd probably have agreed anyway."

"I know you would've," she said softly. "You think too little of your own well-being. You'd skin yourself alive if it mean someone else could breathe easier Harry. I suppose that's part of my job, making sure that you're taken care of."

"Still though, that didn't explain where you're going this summer."

"Yes it does. I'll be with you."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm going with you to your aunt and uncle's. I don't like those people Harry, and I have no intention of being kind to them, but I've agreed to not kill them or hurt them permanently so long as they don't attack you."

"Daphne, you can't!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter? I believe we've just had a discussion about where you stand on making choices for me, did we not?"

"This is different."

"Different than a dark lord hunting you. Get over it Harry Potter. I love you, and that means I'm going to help you against anything that the world throws at you be it dark lords, dragons, mermaids, giant spiders or abusive assholes."

He wanted to protest, but he realized that this really _wasn't_ so different from her attitude towards Voldemort, and he hadn't been able to dissuade her from that course of action.

"I suppose you're right," he muttered.

"Good," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "My parents have already called your relatives to let them know they're meeting us at the station and that I'll be staying there."

"I'm not entirely sure they have the room," said Harry, thinking of the Dursley's house. "I suppose I could camp outside, given that it's summer…"

"Nonsense. My parents are wizards, they'll simply enlarge your room. Unless spending the summer with a beautiful woman in your room bothers you?"

"Of course not!" said Harry, shifting slightly. "I just don't think the Dursley's will let your folks magic up their house."

"Just your room, and honestly their compliance isn't much of a factor. My mother knows how to keep exceptional records, and my father has quite a number of contacts. So they can either agree to my demands or they'll find a rather extremely series of child abuse lawsuits from both the magical and muggle community filed against them."

Harry looked at her, surprised.

"You… you and your parents did that… for me?"

She smiled at him and nodded.

"We're in this together Harry, so you'd best just accept it. Now, I'd rather spend the rest of this trip holding each other and whispering to each other enough to make all our friends rather sick of us. We'll handle your relatives if they decide to be stupid, just as we'll handle Voldemort. I love you Harry Potter."

"I love you too Daphne Greengrass."

She leaned up and kissed him, and he kissed her back, enjoying the taste of her cherry lips and the scent of her hair. They broke apart and she closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder while he stroked her hair softly, feeling that there was no more perfect woman on the planet.

The others came back a few minutes later, Ron's arms full of chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor beans. Tracey immediately looked at them, and raised an eyebrow.

"So was the threesome at least hot then?"

"Why do I put up with you?" asked Daphne, not opening her eyes or moving from Harry's shoulder.

"Cause you love me."

"I think that speaks a lot to my psychological status."

"You love me too," whispered Harry. "They should be coming with a straightjacket any day now."

She snuggled into his shoulder.

"I can think of worse reasons to be sanctioned."

"Honestly, you two," said Hermione, shaking her head. "Imagine if I'd told you that you'd be dating a Slytherin at the start of the year Harry."

"I'd of thought you were barking," said Ron, opening his chocolate frog cards. "So Harry, how long you reckon until they make you into a chocolate frog card?"

"Don't even joke!" said Harry, though his smile betrayed him. "I've already been asked for a few autographs, last thing I need is to sign a hundred chocolate frog cards from nutters like you."

"Oh please," said Ron. "I wouldn't ask for more than dozen."

The crew laughed and for the first time since he'd boarded the train, Harry felt the pain of the year leave him for some peace and happiness.

 _Maybe,_ he thought. _Maybe even in the darkness, there can be a bit of light._


	14. Summer Nights

Chapter 14: Summer Nights

Harry sat up quickly, and it took him several moments to realize that he was at Number Four Privet Drive. Cold sweat covered his body and had soaked through his shirt, and his scar felt like it was on fire. His heart was going a thousand miles and hour and his breathing was harsh and labored. He looked over and saw Daphne stirring and wanted to kick himself.

His room was almost unrecognizable compared to what it had been when he'd first returned to the house. Daphne's mother, Elaine, had been kind enough to bring Harry and Daphne back to the Dursley's and "fix up" his room, although he disagreed with her words. It was practically an insult to the room now to compare it to the old second-hand bedroom it had been before.

She'd enchanted each piece in the place and enlarged the room so that it was really very little issue for he and Daphne to share the space. The one thing that had concerned him at first was sleeping next to her, but she'd never once complained about it, and said she enjoyed being held by him. Harry quickly found sleeping together with her to be very like dancing in that it was a way for them to be close, yet safe.

He admitted to Elaine that he'd expected to be warned off against staying in the same room as Daphne. However, she'd merely laughed the idea off and stated that she was more concerned about Daphne doing something than she was about him. Harry wasn't entirely sure how to feel about her, but Elaine had invited him to dine with them once he was released for the Dursleys in order to get to know her, and her husband Cyrus, better.

He'd only slept two hours, and moved from his spot in the bed to sit on the edge of it and run his hands through his hair. The bed had been enlarged from a twin to a king-sized model, with silk sheets. Harry had never thought much of fancy covering for the bed, being someone who had been able to sleep just about anywhere. Still, now that he'd slept in a bed with silk sheets, he understood the appeal of them, so long as they weren't ridiculously overpriced anyway.

The Dursley's hadn't been happy at all, and Harry was sure his uncle was constantly fighting the urge to destroy the room or burn it down, but Elaine had told him, in no uncertain terms that Daphne would be delivering a full report of her time with the family and that if any bit of it was unsatisfactory, she'd be taking heavy legal action against them. Daphne had also held to the job with admirable gusto, more than once chilling his uncle into a stunned silence, and reminding Harry of her earned title of Ice Queen.

Still, she'd remained kind and tender with him, doing everything she could to help him deal with Cedric's death and Voldemort's resurrection. She was always gentle, and always patient with him, and it was more than he deserved, and he knew it. Still, she'd never held that against him, instead insisting that she thought of it as part of her responsibility towards him.

Likewise, Harry poured himself into the studies of the wizardgamot and the high society functions of the wizarding world. He still didn't like much of, especially the blood purity. But Daphne agreed with his desire to change things, but as she had explained it, he couldn't beat the game if he refused to play at all. Rather, he had to enter it and change the rules.

So he'd studied up on things like manners, proper greetings based on someone's station and wizarding laws during his summer days.

However, his nights were something else altogether. Ever since they'd returned from Hogwarts, he doubted he'd slept more than a few hours a night, always having a nightmare of the graveyard and constantly seeing his friends dead around him. It had him talking in his sleep, and no matter what Daphne said, he knew that he'd likely kept her up more often than not.

She sat up, rubbing one of eyes while her hair made a sleepy halo around her head. Harry always liked the way she looked, even when she first woke up, half-asleep.

"Same nightmare?" she asked, groggily.

He nodded, and gritted his teeth. He hated that he kept waking her up, especially with how much effort she was going through for him. He felt her hands begin to rub his back softly while she whispered softly to him, trying to sooth him. It wasn't working well, not that it ever did. Ever since Voldemort's resurrection, Harry had realized he was constantly angry. Sure, he wasn't in a rage, but the smallest things would set him off and Daphne was the only one who didn't make him angry right now.

Sure, part of that was that his only other communication was with the Dursleys, but he was also furious with his other friends, and Dumbledore. They'd kept him completely in the dark as far as what was going on in the wizarding world.

 _Not as if there's a reason to tell me what's happening or anything…_ he thought bitterly. _Just stick me where it's "safe" and shut me off from the whole damn world._

"I'm sorry," he said to Daphne, turning to look at the blonde girl. "You should go back to sleep."

"And so I shall," she said, kissing his neck. "Once you do."

She reached past him and into her bag by the side of the bed. She pulled out a potion and handed to him and in a moment he recognized it: a potion of dreamless sleep.

"They're not really supposed to be used too often on anyone, let alone someone our age," she said sadly. "But at this point I doubt one can do more harm than what's being done to you."

He downed the potion in one quick swallow, and grimaced at the unpleasant taste. However, as he lay back down, and began to feel the pull of sleep, he admitted that he was very relaxed, and even his anger seemed to be lessened slightly. True to the potion's name, he had no nightmares that night and he awoke feeling much better than he had all summer. Daphne appeared very happy about it, although he doubted anyone other than himself or Tracey would've noticed.

Daphne was used to remaining proper and didn't usually have large expressions on her face. She rarely scowled and beamed at anyone. Rather she gave a soft frown or smile, but as much time as they had spent together this past year, he'd learned to read her fairly well. She hugged him from behind and kissed his jawline. She wasn't large on publicly displaying their affection, something he entirely agreed with, but in private she was actually a very affectionate person. It had the side effect that he'd largely stopped flinching when she touched him. Granted he still would if it caught him by surprise, but for the most part she'd overcome that little habit of his.

He got up and showered and changed first, being used to only taking a couple minutes for himself, then it was Daphne's turn. She really didn't have as long a morning ritual as he'd expected, based on what Ron had said. It took her maybe half an hour total to prepare herself in the morning, and he was glad she didn't take hours making changes most people wouldn't notice.

"So," he asked as she was brushing her hair in front of the conjured mirror. "How's the muggle way of things compare to magic?"

"Honestly, I sort of appreciate it more in a weird way," she said, teasing her blonde locks into perfection. "Magic is definitely quicker, but this has more staying power. I may start maintaining my hair this way at Hogwarts."

"What's on our agenda for the day?"

She grinned at him through the mirror.

"We're going to meet Sirius."

Harry stopped cold, and joy he'd barely felt all summer leapt into his heart.

"Really?!"

"Ah, the pains of a girlfriend, to play second fiddle to a godfather…"

Harry laughed, realizing she was joking about coming second. Still, he hadn't seen Sirius since before the third task. Sirius had been writing him through the summer, often in code in case the owl was intercepted, but at least Harry knew a bit of what was happening thanks to the Black.

He had put together that Dumbledore had assembled some sort of fighting force to combat Voldemort and his death eaters, but that things had mostly been quiet, in the public eye at least. Voldemort seemed focused on learning more about the prophecy that Dumbledore had told him about. Apparently what one of his death eaters had overheard was an incomplete version, and he had the idea that a full telling would help him discover how to kill Harry.

Personally, Harry doubted it. It wasn't as if the prophecy had any real combat information when it came down to it. It largely just told things that had happened the night his parents died. The only new piece was that he and Voldemort were destined to fight until either he or the dark lord died.

In spite of his insistence that she shouldn't, Daphne had spent some time studying the words of the prophecy closely, and Harry had been forcibly reminded of Hermione during exams. Still, she was most focused on the _power the dark lord knows not._

She had pitched out of a few theories, but none of them really seemed to stick. Sure, Harry was a gifted flier, but that didn't exactly seem to be the answer. He was good a defense, but Voldemort was a more skilled duelist than Harry was. In the end, she'd admitted a temporary withdrawal with a promise to redouble her efforts when she and Hermione met up later that summer.

"I mean we're really going to see Sirius?"

"Yes Harry, he's seems to have taken a slight interest in you. Then tonight we have dinner with my family."

"Wait… I'm getting out of here?"

"Yes Harry, and not a day too soon if you ask me… although I admit I've enjoyed sleeping next to you."

"Yeah," said Harry a little sheepishly. "Me too."

They head down the stairs and began to eat a quick breakfast before retreating out of the house before his uncle was properly prepared to head down himself. Vernon had not liked Daphne in the slightest, and more than once they'd heard some… descriptive terms mumbled under his breath. Still, he'd kept from openly insulting her or Harry so far in the summer and that was a good record.

Dudley hadn't been quite as clever as his father, although his motives were entirely different. Daphne was very attractive, as Harry had well noticed by now, and he'd apparently made a few choice remarks about it when Harry was showering one morning. Harry never discovered exactly _what_ she'd done, but he knew Dudley now gave her as wide a berth as he possibly could.

They walked down the streets of Little Whinging, holding hands and talking softly. Several of the neighbors saw them and Harry discovered that they'd been the talk of a few of the Dursley's neighbors. Apparently Harry as a "deluded delinquent" was a piece of disappointing news everyone was happy to pretend didn't exist. However, now that Daphne, a pretty and respectable woman had appeared at his side; people were questioning what Harry must've done to have her at his side, and where she'd come from.

Daphne handled it expertly, being used to being judged by others. She merely held her head up high and ignored the onlookers, not giving their attention any merit. As she'd put it, their business with each other was just that, theirs. They traveled through the streets talking and smiling together when something very strange came over Harry. The summer had been a very hot one, even before the sun had risen. It was enough that they were both sweating slightly, but now he felt a strong chill in the early morning air.

He glanced a Daphne and saw she was shivering unpleasantly. They both looked up and saw two hooded figures in cloaks gliding towards them, blacker than the streets they stood above.

Dementors.


	15. Running into Old Friends

Chapter 15: Running into Old Friends

Harry straightened up as the dementors approached himself and Daphne, boney thin hands outstretched. He went to reach for his wand in his waistband, but Daphne stopped him, turning and moving away from the hooded beasts.

"Too many muggles around," she said softly and Harry looked around.

She was right of course, many groups were starting to leave their houses to head to work or perform yardwork. If he cast a spell here and now, there was no way they wouldn't see it.

He turned around and pulled Daphne with him as they moved as quickly as they could without arousing too much suspicion. He intended it to look like they were merely a couple out for an early morning run. They certainly didn't look the part, but hopefully that could be forgiven by any muggles who looked outside or were driving to work.

"Behind the playground," Harry said to her as they came up on a turn. "About twelve blocks back, that should be deserted enough we can use the Patronus without someone seeing."

"Good thought," she said. "Although I hope you understand when you say 'we' you really mean you, because I can't cast one."

"Me then."

They began to run back, pushing through the chilling cold that was now descending on them. He couldn't help glancing over his shoulder as the heard the horrible sucking sound of the dementors' mouths. As they got closer to the park, Harry began to hear the screaming fill his ears, no matter how hard he tried to block it out.

 _No! Not Harry! Take me, kill me instead!_

He shook his head, but felt his legs go weak as he tried to run. They pushed through their fear and flew across streets. Somewhere behind them, he heard a dog howl, but he didn't have time to look.

 _Stand aside! Stand aside silly girl._

They were close now, but his brain had gone foggy and he couldn't think straight. He tried to push forward and felt himself start to fall forward, unable to stop the pain from flooding through him. He closed his eyes, falling into the darkness gathering at the edge of his brain.

"HARRY!" Daphne yelled and he felt her clutch his hand.

For a second, Harry thought he'd died. He wasn't able to summon the energy to even move, let alone fight back. Then a powerful voice broke out in the air and Harry could hear the speaker almost as clearly as he heard his mother's final words.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver beast burst from the end of the caster's wand and charged the dementors, who were still approaching the pair of them, merely feet away. However at the Patronus' appearance, the shirked horribly and began to flee as fast as their forms would move. Harry sat, breathing heavily while his sight and functions started to return to him.

"Harry! Daphne!" shouted the caster, and now Harry could recognize Sirius' voice.

"S-Sirius?"

"Are you alright?!" asked his godfather, anxiously reaching down to check Harry, presumably for his soul. "Are you alright?!"

"We're fine," said Daphne. "You got to us in time. We were trying to get somewhere people wouldn't see."

"For goodness sake!" shouted Sirius. "I was terrified! Why the bloody hell didn't _you_ cas the charm Harry?"

Harry coughed a few times and shook himself.

"Too many people… someone would've seen."

"Never put the secrecy above your own life! The ministry can keep an eye out for anyone who saw something, but Harry, you know what those dementors do better than most. I… I'm just glad you're ok."

Sirius embraced him and Harry could feel Sirius was shaking, undoubtedly reminded of his time in Azkaban. It was then it occurred to Harry that Sirius had seen dementors take a lot of people's happiness and likely their souls too. It was little wonder seeing two them had scared him so badly. Harry was still shaking himself and he slowly got to his feet.

"Thank you Sirius… won't you get in trouble with the ministry now? Besides, you're still a wanted man, anyone could see you out here!"

Sirius took a very long and deep breath before he appeared to relax a bit.

"No Harry, I'm not."

"I'm sorry?"

"Daphne's father and I spent a long time together while you two were here. Her father has friends in most every field there is in the magical world, Harry. Between Dumbledore and him, they managed to get my name cleared two weeks ago. I thought about writing you, but then the marauder in me decided it'd be better to surprise you on the street. Obviously I didn't intend for the welcoming party to be there."

"I hope not," said Daphne her voice still shaking slightly.

"I'm just glad you two are safe. I can't believe there were actually dementors out in public, alone no less. This is really bad. Either someone at the ministry ordered them here, or Voldemort already has recruited them."

"Voldemort used dementors before?"

"They flock to misery and death and he was causing plenty of both to excite them. Anyway, let's get you somewhere more relaxing than this… place. Dumbledore will want to know about this at any rate."

"He might already know," said Harry. "What with the blood wards."

"Perhaps. Either way I'll send my Patronus to tell him. Come on Harry. I'll apparate you back to my parent's house. Oh, right. First both of you need to read this."

He passed Harry and Daphne a note which they quickly read together.

 _The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 12, Grimmauld place._

"I don't understand," said Harry. "What's the…"

"Not now," said Daphne sharply before glancing around and handing the note back to Sirius, who burned it. "Wait until we're there."

Harry growled slightly, but wasn't truly angry. Sirius and Daphne were two of the only people he couldn't be angry with… ever.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Harry collapsed into a leather loveseat, where Daphne swiftly joined him, and wrapped her arms around him so tightly it almost hurt. It took him a moment to realize she was shaking slightly. The day had been as hard on her as it had him.

Sirius returned quickly with a tea tray, and poured them both a cup.

"Drink," he said. "It'll help calm the nerves and we can talk. I've made Molly promise to give us a half-hour before everyone else knows you're here."

"Right… thanks Sirius."

Sirius smiled for the first time since they'd met and nodded.

"Of course Harry. Now, I'm sure you have your fair share of questions, so ask away and I'll answer what I can."

"What is this place?" asked Harry, looking around at the slightly gloomy house.

It gave an unpleasant feeling of darkness.

"My dear mother's house," said Sirius, scowling. "I doubt I like it anymore than you do, Harry. But, it's safe and that's what matters for now. Don't worry though, we've been working on making it nicer since I came back. Got most of the dark stuff out of the lower floors now, and my mother's portrait is finally gone, thank goodness. Hated her screaming all the damn time… reminded me too much of growing up here. Still some work to do upstairs and then we'll work on the decorations… all things in time."

Harry nodded, looking around at it all. He'd known Sirius' family was much darker than he was, but the house really did seem like the kind of place Malfoy would've loved.

"What's the Order of the Phoenix and what was with that note?"

To his surprise, it wasn't Sirius, but Daphne who answered.

"The house is protected by the Fidelius charm. No one who has the express permission of the secret keeper could find it, so that note was from the secret keeper… I'd guess Dumbledore."

Sirius nodded, winking at her.

"Quite right. Just as smart as I thought, you are."

"The order was the group Dumbledore headed against Voldemort last time. Your parents were in it, Harry."

"Really? How do you know all that?"

"History. I know much of this all is still new to you, but you have to remember, I grew up with this sort of stuff. Granted now it's more like a history lesson, but I like history so I wanted to learn about it all. When you look into the order's all over the stories of people who stood against him last time… It only makes sense they'd bring it back now."

Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around Daphne, who was slightly calmer now, though she still hadn't let go of him.

"And why were there dementors in Little Whinging?"

" _That_ I don't know," said Sirius. "And that bothers me. There's no reason for them to be there officially, and if Voldemort had them back on his side properly they'd be in several places at once, but there's no report of that. I'm not sure what that means, but it makes me uneasy. Now, onto more cheerful things. Daphne's parents will be here tonight, and you'll have your first dinner with a few high society wizards, Harry."

"What… I've already met you and Daphne's mum."

Sirius laughed again.

"It's fine Harry. Honestly this is an excuse so that we can buy you some clothes that actually fit you."

Harry looked down at his over-large clothes and shifted slightly.

"You really don't need to do that. Besides, we just wear robes at Hogwarts, and they fit me just fine."

"I know I 'don't need to.' I'm your godfather, Harry. Up until now I haven't been free to really take up that post, and now that I am I have no intention of letting you roam around dressed in rags like that. You are the heir of the House of Potter. Besides, can't let your girlfriend look like she's with a beggar, can you?"

Harry turned to Daphne, and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you in on this too then?"

"We discussed the idea over a few letters last year and found we were in agreement. You really do need a new wardrobe, Harry. You don't have to wear velvet or silk or anything like that, but you should at least get something that actually fits you."

He shook his head, smiling at her.

"Leave it to you to find a suitable excuse to go shopping."

"Deal with it Mr. Potter. I'm a woman, and I enjoy going shopping. Besides, Tracey won't go with me anymore. I swear she just grabs the first thing she sees and walks out again."

He laughed slightly and nodded.

"Alright. I guess this could be fun. Not like I've ever been shopping for clothes before… outside of my robes I mean."

"Don't worry," Daphne said, smiling at him. "I'll make sure you're alright."

"Don't you always?"

"Exactly."

Sirius let out a laugh like a bark and Harry turned to him.

"I swear I can see bits of both your folks in you two. Half the time you seem like James and Lily, and then it's like Cyrus and Elaine."

"I take that as a compliment," said Daphne.

"As you should. So, you two shared a bed this summer. Hope you were at least safe, Daphne."

"We didn't do anything like that," said Harry, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not," said Sirius, mockingly. "Just if you had, I would hope not to see any little ones running around too soon."

"Now then, Mr. Black. I hope you're not intending to impugn the honor of both the heiress to the House of Greengrass and the heir to the House of Potter."

Sirius cracked a smile at them.

"I knew I liked you, Daphne. Every bit of a proper Slytherin, you are. Wish my brother had been more like you. Now, our time is likely up and I'm sure you have more than a few people eager to see you two."

He opened the sitting room doors and Harry saw Astoria, Tracey, Hermione and Ron all standing by the door, smiling at Daphne and him.


	16. Reunited

Chapter 16: Reunited

Harry didn't know exactly _what_ he'd expected to feel when he saw his friends again: happiness, acceptance, relief or simple belonging? What he'd not expected was the anger that flared up as he glanced at their faces. Hermione ran up to him and embraced him before studying him.

"Harry!" she said. "We were so worried about you!"

"Yeah mate," said Ron, walking up. "We'd thought those muggles of yours would go nutters when they saw Daphne and her mum. They weren't too bad were they?"

"How have you been dealing with Cedric's death? I know it hit you pretty hard, Harry."

"Care now, do you?" he asked, coldly.

"Harry?" asked Sirius, takenaback.

"Only this is the first I've really heard from you all summer," he growled. "Can't have been all that concerned, could you?"

Daphne reached out and put an arm on his shoulder, and his bad mood lessened, but only a little. He saw a copy of the daily prophet on the side table and snatch it up, chucking it into the air.

"You two also having fun laughing about what a nutter I am?!" he all but shouted. "Imagine it's been a ripping good laugh between all of you."

"Harry!" said Daphne, a little sharply. "You know that's not true."

He looked into her blue eyes, and felt his love for her spike, and break through his anger. The red haze at the edge of his vision broke and he looked down at his shoes, ashamed of himself.

"I… I'm sorry," he said. "It's been this way ever since… ever since the graveyard. I'm just… I'm so angry all the time now. I don't know why but I'm _always_ angry."

He looked up slightly and saw that Hermione was fighting back tears, and that felt like he'd been kicked in the gut by a hippogriff.

"I'm sorry Hermione, that was bang out of order… maybe I am going crazy."

"No," she said softly. "You're… You have every right to be upset Harry. Dumbledore told us not to write to you. He said it could be intercepted. We felt damn horrible about it. I nearly had my parents drive me there and just damn the consequences. I should've… I was being so stupid."

"Hermione," said Daphne, holding up a hand. "It's ok. Harry's not really mad at you. We think Voldemort did something since he's been back, but we don't really know how to research it."

"There's surprisingly little written about what happens when two people are linked by a failed killing curse," said Harry, trying to joke, but it fell flat. "Honestly though, I understand why you two couldn't write to me. I just… I needed someone after… everything. But, Daphne's been taking care of me."

"Well Harry, someone has to be there to teach you. Imagine the heir of Potter knowing nothing about his responsibilities after felling the dark lord. It'd give the prophet even more material."

"You got a plan then?" asked Ron, looking surprised. "To take you-know-who out I mean?"

"Daphne's insisted on thinking as things as _when_ I beat Voldemort, not _if._ I can't say I share her optimism on the subject, but I'm glad she believes it's possible at any rate."

Daphne simply smiled and nodded.

"She's not the only one, lad," said Sirius, clasping Harry's shoulder firmly. "After all, you've already beaten him three times, eh? Granted, once as a baby, but still… You've bested him before and when the time comes you'll do it again. I'm sure of it. I agree with Daphne. Focus on what you do _when_ you beat the snake bastard, not _if._ Now, believe I have an owl that's summoning me for a court date for using the Patronus."

"They're really going to try you for that?"

"Of course, but it's likely just a formality Harry. Besides if you and Daphne testify on my behalf, I doubt anyone will really punish me beyond a small fee. Plus the Ministry is still trying to recover from the disaster that is my false persecution. Fudge is good a spinning public opinion, but twelve years in Azkaban for something I would never do is a really hard sell, even for the people who read the prophet."

"Well, I'm willing to do what I can to help, Sirius."

"Honestly Harry," said Daphne, holding onto his arm. "Your name carries a lot of weight to the public. Sure, you haven't officially claimed your places as the head of your family yet, but everyone knows who you are. You carry a number of titles right now: The-boy-who-lived, the last of the Potters, the true Gryffindor, twi-wizard champion. You may not like the names Harry, but you can't deny they carry public sway."

"Figured everyone just thinks I'm a nutter because I said Voldemort's back."

"And some will," said Daphne, sighing. "Especially because the prophet's printing it, but a lot of people will remember that even when the entire wizarding world was against you, you've always proved them wrong. Some will think it through."

Harry smiled at her.

"Honestly, I'm just glad _you're_ here."

She smiled back at him, and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "And _that_ is the reason I refused to let you break up with me. Hopefully you'll remember that next time you try and do something stupid."

"No promises," he whispered back. "I have a pretty bad track record of being thick."

She kissed his cheek and he sighed.

"We all done shouting then?" asked Tracey, sliding up to Daphne. "I want to hear all the sorted details of you two over the summer."

"Nothing explicit happened," said Daphne, rolling her eyes.

"I swear you don't know how to have any fun," said Tracey, hugging Daphne. "All the same, I missed you. Tori is surprisingly clingy when you're not around."

"Speaking of," said Daphne, peering around their group. "How are you, sister mine?"

Daphne's voice bore none of the venom it had carried during their school year, but Astoria was still slightly timid.

"Sister," she said, fidgeting. "I hope your summer was pleasant."

Daphne walked to the dark-haired girl and wrapped her in a hug.

"I'm not upset with you little sister."

Astoria hugged Daphne back tightly, and Harry smiled at the scene. He was glad Daphne and Astoria had been able to make up. He would've felt horrible if something permanently ruined their relationship. After a long moment, Astoria withdrew and walked to Harry, and curtsied.

"Thank you Harry Potter, for taking care of my sister during my… poor choices."

"You're welcome, although I think she cared more for me than I did for her."

She didn't reply, but a moment later Mrs. Weasley walked in and embraced Harry before looking him up and down. Despite the tender gesture, Harry still found he felt slightly suffocated by her embrace.

"Harry dear! It's good to see you here. We were worried about you, of course! I can't imagine why Dumbledore thinks you need to be sent back with _those_ people every year."

Harry grimaced, still uncomfortable with the idea himself.

"He… has his reasons," said Harry sourly.

"Of course dear!" she said, looking slightly shocked at his response. "I'm sure he does. He's the greatest wizard of the age after all. I can't believe how thin you are dear! I swear you could slip through the floors by accident. You need some food in you. I know you'll have dinner with the Greengrasses, but if you'd rather eat something now I could…"

"It's fine, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, cutting her off before she got too far.

The truth was he'd eaten more from the Dursley's summer than he ever had before. Still, it wasn't much, and definitely less than Daphne had asked him to eat. He'd meant to listen to her, but the old habits around them died hard, and he was careful to not be seen eating too often.

"We've got a meeting in the other room after your dinner," said Sirius. "We need to discuss what to do about…"

"Things you don't need to worry about," said Mrs. Weasley, cutting Sirius off.

Harry growled, unable to hold himself back.

"Mrs. Weasley. I do not need to be protected or held safe. I'm going to be involved in this even if you locked me in a prison cell. It's better that I know everything then, isn't it? Or would it be better if I didn't know what my would-be murderer was doing?"

She had the grace to look abashed and Harry felt his usual anger flare up, but managed to resist lashing out in full. He knew that she didn't deserve his anger, she'd treated him like one of her own after all, and her protective instinct came from a good place. Still, he didn't need to be coddled right now. He needed information.

"And so you will know it all, Harry," said Sirius, reaching out to him. "But first I believe you promised your girlfriend and I that we'd get out of this ruddy house for a spell. Believe me, I'm all too happy to actually enjoy fresh air again, and I intend to make the most of it by spoiling my godson."

Harry smiled at him, as his anger slowly faded, and his scar slowly stopped burning.

"Right then. Where we going?"

"Oh don't worry," said Daphne, winking. "I've got a list."

"Harry," said Tracey, somberly. "As an experienced shopping veteran, I salute you for the service you're about perform."

Tracey gave a mock salute, which made Ron burst out laughing. Hermione looked down at him and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly. You'd think you two were still first-years. How you've made prefect Ron is sometimes beyond me!"

"Oi!" said Ron, from the floor. "Don't say that Hermione. I earned it fair and square, didn't I?"

"Of course," said the bushy-haired girl. "But that just means you ought to be working to set an example for the younger years Ronald."

"What's that?" Harry heard Fred say, peaking into the room.

"Do our ears deceive us my dear twin?" asked George, grimacing.

"Must we truly suffer yet another prefect in the family?"

"Yes, I'd rather thought we'd broken that curse."

"No such luck, it would seem."

"No indeed," said George, looking down at Ron. "It seems we were the only males lucky enough to get out alive."

"Brother mine, take comfort in the fact that we shall cause all the more mayhem and pranking with the knowledge it shall be you who's responsible for cleaning it all up."

"Aren't I the lucky one," mumbled Ron.

"Come on Harry," said Daphne, tugging at his arm. "We'll take the floo to the shopping center first."

Harry grimaced.

* * *

He'd not known _what_ to properly expect when Daphne and Sirius had offered to take him shopping, but half-way through first shop, he learned his first rule: don't look at _anything._

He'd idly examined a leather jacket with Daphne looked through some clothes for his size, only for Sirius to catch him examining the jacket, and instantly add it to the pile.

"You really don't have to…" he began.

"Harry," said Sirius. "My dear mum has left me more money than I know what to do with. The very least you can do is allow me to spend a bit of it. You protest anymore and you'll be as bad as Moony. It took hours just to get him to take a small amount for the basics."

"I… I suppose I understand that."

"Good, then worry about normal things a teenager _should_ worry about. Think of nothing but your girlfriend and school, Harry. The moment Voldemort wins in when you give up living life."

Harry couldn't help but smile at his godfather. True to his earlier threat, Sirius completely refused to let Harry pay for anything and several hours later, they left the shopping center with more clothes than Harry had ever owned in his life put together.

"There," said Daphne, smiling. "Now at least you have something that fits you properly for dinner tonight."


	17. Dinner Questions

Chapter 17: Dinner Questions

"Hello there Harry," said Cyrus, looking down at Harry and Daphne. "I'm glad you two could join us."

Harry bowed slightly, mentally trying to keep track of everything Daphne had taught him about proper behavior for the wizarding world.

"It's nice to meet you too Mr. Greengrass," said Harry. "I understand you're already acquainted with my godfather, Sirius?"

"Ah," said Cyrus, smiling at Sirius. "Good to see you again Sirius, and this time as a properly freed man."

"Thanks in no small part to you, Cyrus," said Sirius, beaming.

Elaine walked up and smiled at Harry and Daphne.

"My beautiful child," she said, embracing Daphne. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Mother," said Daphne, shaking her head softly. "You and father taught me more than enough to take care of myself."

"Of course dear, but I am your mother. It's my right to worry about you. Harry I hope you understand that my concerns now stretch to include you, being so big a part in my eldest daughter's life."

Harry smiled and bowed again.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Mrs. Greengrass, but it's truly unwarranted. Daphne and I take care of each other, and there's nothing we've come up against yet that I doubt we can handle."

 _Of course,_ he thought bitterly. _Voldemort will certainly be more difficult to handle._

"Well I can see my daughter didn't just spend the summer 'sleeping' with you Harry."

"Mother!"

Harry sighed, getting slightly tired of repeating himself on this front.

"Daphne and I didn't do anything explicit, Mrs. Greengrass."

"Of course not, dear," she said, and winked at Daphne.

"Getting really tired of that," Harry whispered to Daphne.

"I understand Harry. People don't really seem to understand that you and I are simply not normal teenagers, and you can't blame her for being a _little_ suspicious."

"No," he said, letting his anger dissipate. "I suppose not."

"This is going to be much more embarrassing for me than it is you," mumbled Daphne, looking at her plate.

"Now then," said Cyrus, sitting at the head of the table. "I hardly think we should let this food go to waste. Let us eat and then we may continue our conversation. I must admit I find myself very curious about the boy who's managed to capture my eldest daughter's attention. I must say it was a fair bit of relief to hear you two were together. I thought the letters would never stop."

"Well sir, your daughter and I really only started talking at the start of our fourth year. Still she's been a great friend ever since."

"All the same Harry," said Sirius, grinning. "I seem to remember a small series of letters from you concerning Daphne. I have them stored somewhere."

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I am deadly Sirius."

"Again with that?" asked Harry, rolling his eyes.

"Of course," said Cyrus, smiling at their discomfort. "I recall vividly that Daphne has been writing periodically about Mr. Potter since her first day at Hogwarts."

Harry turned to Daphne, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't known that.

"You have to admit," she said to him. "You commanded a lot of attention… I was curious."

"So then," said Elaine. "I suppose there wasn't a letter, only a week into your education stating that Harry here had… what was it? The most striking emerald eyes you'd ever seen?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Daphne evenly as she cut a piece of her steak. "Are you sure you're not being just a touch romantic there, mother?"

Harry glanced down at his own plate, unsure of how to react or what to say. However, Cyrus and Elaine laughed softly before Cyrus turned to Harry.

"You must forgive my wife and I Harry. It has been many years since we've born such close witness to young romance and we had fears about what would happen with our children, you see? I mean, when we heard about Astoria dating Lucius Malfoy's son…"

"Well, she ended up breaking things off," said Daphne, relieved the conversation seemed to be moving on.

"Thank goodness," said Cyrus. "Don't misunderstand me dear, you two are of course, free to pursue whomever you would like in life, but a father always has hopes for his daughters."

"How do you feel about our relationship then?" asked Harry, unable to keep himself from asking.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure how to feel about the matter," said Cyrus. "I was happy for Daphne's happiness, of course. However, you yourself weren't exactly and open book as far as your plans and motives, Harry. Now that Daphne's gotten to know you and you've spent time with my wife, I feel slightly more at-ease with you, but I must admit I'm curious about your plans for the future."

"Simple really," said Harry. "I'm going to stop Voldemort."

Sirius even appeared slightly taken aback at Harry's confidence in the statement.

"You seem… very sure of that fact Harry."

"Because I am. Daphne and I have already done several things people would consider impossible. She's largely the reason I survived and even sort of 'won' the tri-wizard tournament. We became the first Slytherin and Gryffindor couple in… I don't even know how long. In fact, we've several members of Gryffindor and Slytherin eating together at mealtimes."

"As I'm sure you both recall," said Daphne, smiling. "It was considered social suicide and pure foolhardiness during your time at Hogwarts for our houses to spend time with one another. However, Harry and I are able to do so openly."

"Fairly respectable," said Elaine. "But taking down the most evil dark wizard since Grindelwald… that's something else."

"Not really," said Daphne, sipping her drink softly. "Harry has already overcome him three times since school has started, after conquering a separate challenge capable of killing talented wizards."

"Is that so?" asked Cyrus, curiously. "I've heard some rumors of course, but no one really knew for sure what happened in most of those… adventures… you've had, Harry."

"Laying on a little thick aren't you?" he whispered.

She winked at him.

"You're simply modest," she replied before speaking out again. "Our first year, Harry led a three-man first-year group through several tasks set to protect the Sorcerer's stone, then defeated the form of Voldemort through our possessed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"Well…" said Harry, sheepishly. "Like she said, I had help there."

"Second year, he managed to convince another professor to accompany him and his friend into the Chamber of Secrets and single-handedly slew a fully-grown, thousand-year-old, fifty-foot basilisk, and then defeated the form of Voldemort's teenage form from a diary he'd left behind."

"A diary left a form of him behind?" asked Cyrus, curiously. "And not to mention a fully-grown basilisk, Harry."

"Look," said Harry. "Single-handed is a little…"

"Which isn't to mention his third year," said Sirius, looking at Daphne. "In which he was led to believe a serial murderer, me by the way, was out to kill him. He not only set out and found me, but even heard out my story, and kept me from becoming the very murderer I was accused of being. And then, helped me escape from the dementor's kiss, by summoning a fully grown Patronus and fighting off dozens of the beasts."

"I mean, I had Lupin to teach me."

"Which leads to last year's tournament," Daphne continued. "In which he bested a dragon; rescued myself, Hermione Granger, Cho Chang and another champion's sister; and conquered a maze of magical beasts and tests all to lead to fighting Voldemort off… again."

"I had your help, and Cedric's!" said Harry, still choking up a little at the mention of Cedric.

"Help or no Harry," said Cyrus, smiling at him. "I must admit, you have quite the impressive track record. Many in your position would easily just ride off of your fame from Voldemort's defeat as a child, or as the heir to the Potter Family. However, you have solidly earned your place in the wizarding world year after year."

Harry growled, feeling his anger build against his will.

"I didn't _do_ it to earn my place," he said. "I did it because it was the right thing to do. I couldn't just let Voldemort get the stone and come back. I couldn't let the basilisk kill people in the school and do nothing. I couldn't just let my dad's best mate get his soul sucked out for something he didn't do, and I had no choice but to compete in the tournament. I don't go looking for these things. I do them because I need to! I don't _want_ to fight Voldemort! I don't have a death wish! But if I don't… a lot of people are going to die and he's going to do whatever it takes to bring about his world… I can't let that happen."

Cyrus looked at Harry, and seemed to take the motion deep in thought for a long moment before he spoke again.

"You seem to have had a great many things placed before you Harry. And I find it admirable that you're willing to do what it takes to set things right. Not many are so brave. Truly, you are a Gryffindor. However, being that you have the intent to challenge such a powerful wizard I must ask if you truly think it's wise to bring Daphne into such a thing? Do you realize she's likely to be targeted if you truly do become a threat to him?"

"I've known that for several months now," said Harry, sighing. "If you're able to convince your daughter not to help me, you're a more persuasive man than I."

Daphne sat up, practically with a regal bearing and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder.

"With or without him," she said. "I intend to stand against Voldemort. I won't cower to hide, and I certainly won't bow to his rule. So, one way or another I'll be a target. As such, it's only logical I shouldn't let him affect my decision to date Harry. Besides, someone's got to make sure Harry lives through defeating Voldemort."

Cyrus and Elaine shared a long look with one another, which made Harry wonder if they could communicate telepathically.

"Well," said Elaine softly. "We've always told you that your life is yours, dear. If you truly think this is the best option, and one that will bring you happiness, you of course have our blessing. However, promise us you'll be careful. As Voldemort truly has returned… Well, you remember your recent history lessons clearly enough, I imagine? I should think it will not be unlike it was last time."

"I'm fully expecting it shall. That's why I agree with Harry. I'd rather we stop him before people start dying, but we're not ready yet."

Sirius growled slightly.

"I can't pretend I like it," he said. "You're still young. At your age, your father and I never worried about things like this Harry. Hell, at your age his most fervent concerns were wooing your mother and flying on his broom. It's not fair for the world to expect you to solve its problems."

"Maybe it's not fair," said Harry. "But it is my responsibility."

Daphne smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"Which means I have every intention at being by his side, every step of the way."

"I can see that," said Elaine. "Speaking of which… we should discuss your… arrangement at your aunt and uncle's place of residence, Harry."

Harry sighed and pulled out his wand, determined to put a stop to the questions about his summer with Daphne.

"I swear upon my magic that Daphne and I have done nothing of a sexually explicit nature, so mote it be."

His wand gave brief red flash and he pocketed it, looking pointedly at the Cyrus and Elaine.

"Harry!" hissed Daphne. "You didn't have to do that! Magic vows are serious things."

"I understand that," said Harry. "However, I'm also serious when it comes to people understanding that I wouldn't… betray your parents' trust in us like that. Besides… I was more than a little sick of answering the question."

"Well… I admit that's a fair bit of relief to us," said Elaine. "However, I was referring to your upbringing in that house. There's a bit of legal recourse to consider. I know you may not want to discuss it, but the fact is that you were wronged by them, rather a lot. We're here and willing to help you with whatever you want to do, Harry."

Harry looked between them, and sighed.

"I appreciate the offer, Mrs. Greengrass, honestly. However, I do not wish to seek any recourse. My… arrangement with the Dursleys shall resume its course for another summer yet, and then we shall go our separate ways. I do not have… good memories under their roof. But revenge is of no good to anyone. I would sooner just forget the whole thing."


	18. The Next Move

**A/N:** Sorry about the little break there, I agreed to watch a friend's house and take care of his horses for a few days, so I've been unable to write at all, but I'm back now.

Chapter 18: The Next Move

"Well then," said Sirius, smiling at Harry and Daphne. "I suppose we're ready to get down to business and discuss what the order will be doing next."

"Right," said Mrs. Weasley. "So why don't you dears go on to bed?"

"What?" asked Harry, confused. "I'm staying through the meeting."

"Nonsense dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're far too young. You should be focused on your schooling."

"I agree with Harry," said Sirius. "He's too involved in this to just sit it out."

"It's not down to you to decide what's right for Harry, Sirius!"

"I'm his godfather, Molly! Harry's seen Voldemort come back and he has more of a right than most to know…"

"He's only fifteen!" the red-headed mother cried, exasperated.

"I'm not a child!" Harry shouted out.

"And he's dealt with more than half the order have," Sirius growled. "And certainly more than any of us did at his age. He's already a more powerful wizard than I am."

Harry was slightly taken aback at that. Sure, he knew Sirius respected his abilities, but he never really thought of himself as being that powerful at magic. His only real skill was in the Patronus charm.

"Sirius," he muttered. "I'm really not."

"Nonsense. I can't fight off more than a few dementors or sneak my way past a dragon… especially not after Azkaban… If I'm considered fit for duty, you should be too. Besides, he already knows about _it_ , Molly."

"I'm not denying what he's been through, Sirius, or what he's done. But he's still way too young!"

"Harry's right, Molly. He's _not_ a child!" Sirius called out, almost shouting.

"He's not an adult, either!" said Mrs. Weasley, standing almost face-to-face with Sirius.

Harry opened his mouth to speak up again, but he felt Daphne place her hand upon his and he pushed his anger away.

"He is also in the room," said Daphne, shaking slightly. "And shouldn't be treated as if he cannot speak on his own behalf."

"Daphne," said Harry softly. "You really don't need to."

Harry had been dealing with increasing anger ever since the graveyard, but Daphne was usually very collected, so it always put him off to see her angry.

"Yes I do," she said, glaring at both Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. "I've spent more than enough time with people who talk about you as if you aren't there, or as if you can't understand what's being said and I've had more than my fill. Do both of you trust Harry to make his own choices or not?"

Both adults looked at her, taken aback by her fiery display.

"Of… of course, dear."

"I trust Harry with my life," said Sirius.

"I… I want to stay," said Harry.

"I believe that's settled then," said Daphne, sitting next to Harry, displaying her own intentions quite clearly.

"Right then," said Mrs. Weasley, clearly still a bit upset. "Ron, Hermione!"

"Harry will just tell us everything you say anyway," said Ron, smarmily.

"Right," said Harry, quietly enough so only they could hear. "So maybe it's better you don't argue with your mum about it. I'll catch you two up later."

Ron looked a little shocked, but seemed to consider what Harry had said.

"Sorry mum," he said. "You're right of course."

"Harry," said Hermione, looking at him, concerned. "Just be careful, ok?"

"I will be Hermione, goodnight."

He felt more than a little bit guilty about sending them away, but he still didn't have the heart to reveal what the prophecy had said, and he had no doubt that it would be part of what was discussed. He knew they were his friends, but he didn't want to push the limits of the friendship. He still hadn't forgotten that Ron had turned away from him last year, and that was just a tournament… what would he do if he knew Voldemort had singled Harry out until he died?

Over the next few minutes, Moody, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley, Snape and Dumbledore all sat around the dinner table. Harry was growing more and more irritated by the fact that the headmaster refused to meet his gaze, but pushed the thought aside. He had greater concerns right now.

"Right then, Harry," said Sirius. "What do you want to know?"

"What do we know about what Voldemort's up to?" he asked, firmly.

"Best we can tell," said Moody, looking all around the table. "He's focused on that prophecy you heard last year. He never got the full thing and he's convinced if he does that he can kill you… properly."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Well… why not just let him have it?" Harry asked, confused. "There really wasn't anything useful in it. Sure, it says that we'd fight each other and that I could defeat him, but it didn't say how, and Voldemort would've come after me either way… It's not like it's going to really help him any. All it says is that I will have _power the dark lord knows not_ but I don't really know what it is either."

"And I have a fair theory on that, Harry," said Dumbledore, speaking out for the first time. "However, I'm not yet sure on the matter. I would like to discuss it with you at a later time, once you return to Hogwarts."

Harry growled, balling his hands into fists. Dumbledore was keeping stuff from him, _again!_ He had half a mind to demand an answer out of the old man, until he felt Daphne squeeze his hand softly. The red haze over his vision broke, replaced by his love for the blonde-haired girl. She nodded very softly, and he did his best to relax.

"Right, of course, sir. All the same, I don't really see how it matters if he gets ahold of it."

"In the long run," said Snape, sneering at Harry. "It may not assist the dark lord in his efforts against you, Potter. However, while he's focused on that prophecy, we are aware of where his efforts lie. While we know exactly what he's trying to do, we can plan around it. We'd rather he was focused on obtaining that information than out recruiting or killing. An idea I am not surprised has slipped by your clearly overinflated ego."

Daphne wrapped her arm around Harry's shoulders and placed her free hand on his chest before he could glare back at the potions master. He knew she was only doing it so that he could control himself, but it did seem to work. His love for her was stronger than his anger towards others.

"Right, I understand," said Harry. "So what are we doing?"

"Well, our main focus is trying to recruit others to our side," said Lupin. "Although it's not going particularly well. The werewolves have already pledged themselves to him, along with Greyback. Hagrid is talking with the giants, but the dementors will almost assuredly join his forces."

"But it's not as bad as it might be," said Sirius. "Voldemort has some number of powerful creatures on his side, but there are others who aren't fond of him. The goblins for one, suffered under his rule last time. They dislike wizards in general, but they hated him a fair bit more. If a real war broke out, I think they'd likely side against him. Plus, if we can get the aurors to see the real threat, we'll have the numbers on our side. The death eaters are more vicious, but there really aren't a huge number of them."

"Why can't we just talk to the aurors?" asked Harry. "Tonks and Kingsley both work in the department right? How hard is it to talk to a co-worker?"

"It's not so simple, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "You've read what the Daily Prophet has been saying about you. If they started calling Fudge a liar they'd lose their jobs and we need people on the inside right now. Dumbledore's gotten enough slack for what he's said on it and he's one of the most respected wizards in the world!"

Harry growled, as his anger continued to boil.

"Well, so long as working on this isn't making anyone uncomfortable in the public eye. So… what should I be doing?"

"For now," said Dumbledore, who was only one not shocked by his outburst. "You should be kept safe, Harry. I know you've sworn yourself against Tom, and I believe the time will come when you face him. However, it will not be now. You should study, and study hard to learn all you can. I believe you will be able to rely on Miss Greengrass as well as your friends to assist you in that matter?"

"Of course, Professor," said Daphne, grasping Harry's hand.

"But I want to fight!"

"No," This time it was Sirius who spoke out. "Don't misunderstand me Harry. You're a very capable wizard. I know you'll have to fight… eventually. But please, I beg you as your godfather and as the man who lost his best friends the night Voldemort attack you, don't go _looking_ for that fight. If it has to happen, then it will, but don't go _looking_ to die… please."

Harry suddenly felt very guilty, seeing the pain on Sirius' face.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Sirius," said Harry. "I know you want to keep me safe, but I can't just hide away until people around me are all dead."

"Nor shall you," said Dumbledore. "I need to confirm some things Harry. But once I do, I expect that we shall begin demolishing Voldemort, properly this time. However, until such a time comes I cannot but agree with Sirius. Do not throw your life away so meaninglessly. You've fought him before, so you know how powerful he is. Many of his followers are nearly as strong."

"But…" he began, only to realize he had no argument. "I suppose you're right. But I do have to fight… eventually."

"Yes…" said Mr. Weasley, looking at his goblet. "We are agreed on that Harry. However, I also agree with Sirius. For now, be safe, and learn. We shouldn't make it any easier for Voldemort to attack you. So for now, train up and learn all you can. Then, when the time comes, you can be ready."

"Right then," said Harry, taking a sip from his goblet. "So, what's our plans regarding the prophecy? I mean, Voldemort will hardly just let it sit there if he thinks it's important."

"Yes, but there are a few things working for us in that area," said Kingsley's gruff voice. "For one thing, until he's ready to properly reveal himself, he likely won't stroll into the ministry of magic himself."

"So what?" asked Harry. "He could get one of his followers to get it, couldn't he?"

"Actually Harry," said Daphne. "He can't. Only people who are mentioned in a prophecy can retrieve it from the ministry. So only you and he can actually do it."

Everyone else stared at her, to which she merely smiled.

"I've been doing some reading on the subject of prophecies this summer. The information isn't exactly hidden, just not largely sought after."

"So if I don't get the prophecy for him, he'd have to get it himself!" said Harry, looking into her blue orbs.

"Precisely," said Sirius. "And he's not ready to do that just yet. All the same, we have someone watching guard on the entrance at all times. Voldemort is slippery and cunning. No point in just letting him have the thing if we can take some simple measures to prevent it."

Harry yawned, unable to stop himself.

"And now I hope you're concerns have been addressed, Harry," said Dumbledore.

"Addressed enough, headmaster."

"Good, then we've merely to discuss matters of shifts and assignments. So, why don't you two get some well-earned sleep?"

Harry nodded and he and Daphne head up to bed. As he lay down on the silk sheets, in a very large bed, he couldn't help but feel cold as Daphne's form was not next to his.


	19. Welcome Back

Chapter 19: Welcome Back

Harry looked at the carriages that always brought them to Hogwarts, transfixed on the skeletal black horse that was fixed in front of it.

"What's pulling the carriages?" he asked to his group of friends.

"Harry?" asked Tracey, slightly worried. "There's nothing pulling the carriages."

"Can't—Can't you see them?" he asked, looking to Ron for confirmation.

He looked blankly back at Harry as if he suddenly had blue skin.

"Mate… there's nothing there."

Daphne walked up to him and pulled him softly towards the carriages.

"I swear…" he began only for her to shush him softly.

"Thestrals," she said, as if that was supposed to make sense to him.

"What in the world are thestrals?" he asked, but it was Hermione that answered.

"Of course!" she whispered. "Thestrals are sort of like black, skeletal horses that can fly. They are often mistaken for a bad omen, because the only people that can see thestrals, are people who have seen death."

Harry felt his stomach tighten up as Hermione said this and he grimaced, instantly reminded of Cedric. Cedric… who had been at least as brave as any Gryffindor, and had died in the end, just so Harry could get away. He scowled and pounded his fist into his leg, hitting it hard enough to bruise.

"Harry!" said Daphne, swiftly taking his hand in hers.

He looked at her, and had to hold back tears that threatened to appear a moment later. He hadn't been dealing with their new sleeping arrangements very well, even if he understood the reason for it. The fact was that he hadn't slept much at all since he and Daphne had gone to separate beds. Every night his nightmares struck.

Most often, they were of the graveyard. However, once in a while he would experience the feeling of seeing the world through Voldemort's eyes. During these spurts he would feel pain and anger beyond anything he'd ever imagined could exist. It was as if there was nothing in the world but pain, as if love was merely an idea to entertain child, and had never truly existed.

When this happened, it often physically hurt to see Daphne again, although it was a pain he took gratefully if it meant that he could feel love again. He didn't know why he sometimes dreamed as if he were Voldemort, expect that the dark wizard's speech to him in the graveyard often ran through his mind.

He felt confident in his assessment that he would never do the things Voldemort had done, but there was a very small voice in the back of his mind that repeatedly reminded him of his aunt and uncle.

 _Freak._

But he knew he was better than that. He would never stoop so low as to blame the muggle world for his aunt and uncle. Still, it wasn't as if he'd actively tried to learn anything more about it. He had always understood that he wasn't accepted by muggles… he didn't fit in with them. He supposed wizards and witches often didn't.

"But that doesn't excuse everything he does," Harry whispered to himself, growling.

Daphne looked at him and raised an eyebrow. At this he grew slightly embarrassed. However his shame was quickly dissipated as his anger began to build again. He was talking to himself and getting angry at his own thoughts now.

"Are you ok, Harry?" Daphne asked, rubbing his shoulder.

"Yeah," Harry lied, already knowing she didn't believe him. "Just not sleeping well."

"Have you slept since the dreamless drought I gave you?" she asked, concerned.

"Not really. I mean, a couple hours a night, but no more than that."

"Aren't you sleeping, Harry?" asked Hermione, looking between them. "It's really not good for you to miss sleep like that."

"He barely slept a wink all the time he was at Sirius' place," said Ron.

Harry snarled at him before he could stop himself.

"Sorry mate," said Ron, seeing his glare. "But it's true. Fred, George and I all heard you having nightmares. Then, you'd pace for hours. We kept expecting you to face plant and pass out in the middle of the day, to be honest."

"You should see Madam Pomfrey," said Tracey. "I'm sure she has something that could help you."

"Yeah Harry," chimed in Neville. "You know she could fix you right up."

"I'M FINE!" he shouted, standing up before the carriage had fully stopped and jumping down onto the ground.

He hated it: them talking about him like he didn't know how to do anything. As if he didn't know what was best for himself. Rather they would all spend the time talking to him like a damn child! He was the one who stood up against Voldemort and he'd seen traumas the rest of them could only imagine. So yeah, maybe he had some bad dreams but he _didn't_ need their pity or help.

He sat in his place at the Gryffindor table, and eventually Ron and Hermione joined him. He was still burning red-hot and diligently ignored them. All-in-all he was still fuming and barely registered the sorting or the feast, until their new defense professor stood from her seat, (although it did nothing at all to increase her height.)

"Thank you headmaster," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "For those kind words of welcome."

"That bitch!" Harry hissed, almost standing.

"Who's she?" asked Hermione, looking at him curiously.

"Umbridge!" Harry whispered to her. "She was at Sirius' trial for the dementors! She's senior under… something or other, but she works for Fudge."

"Does she really?" asked Hermione, looking up at the pink-clad woman. "She does seem a bit… unpleasant."

"She spent the whole damn trial trying to get people to distrust him, just because he's friends with a werewolf, and me."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Hermione.

"She's got a major blood-purity agenda," said Ron. "I've heard dad mention her. Said she was nearly as bad as some of the death eaters, she is."

"Well, anyway, she works for Fudge. I figured she just hated Dumbledore and wanted to use Sirius to get to him, but she's a bitch!"

"Harry!"

"Just you wait!" he said, waving a hand towards the woman. "She'll be one of the worst damn teachers we've had. Why in the world did Dumbledore hire that woman?"

"Maybe he couldn't get anyone else?" suggested Ron. "Position can't exactly be popular, can it? I mean, it's cursed and all, ain't it?"

"Well," said Harry, sneering. "Here's hoping that curse holds. Maybe we can be free of her in a few weeks.

* * *

Harry groaned and he sunk into his four-poster bed. He wanted nothing more in the world than to curl up and go to sleep, yet he knew it wasn't going to happen. He figured he wasn't likely to get any sleep at all that night.

"Hey Harry," said Dean, waving to him.

"Hey Dean," he said, trying to relax, but failing to block out the building red haze. "How was your summer?"

"Alright," he said. "Better than Seamus' anyway."

"Why?" asked Harry, looking up. "What's happened Seamus?"

He looked over at Harry, not meeting his eye.

"Me mam didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts."

"What?" asked Harry, sitting up and looking at his dorm mate. "Why not?"

"Well," said Dean. "On account of you, mate."

Harry growled, and snarled at them.

"Cause of what happened last year, you mean?"

"Well," said Seamus. "On account of the daily prophet and what all they're saying about you. I mean… Come on Harry, what _did_ happen that night? How'd Diggory die?"

"FUCK YOU!" Harry shouted out, unable to hold himself back. "Why don't you go ask your mum, or the prophet if you think I'm such a damn liar?!"

Seamus stood, fire in his eyes and Harry reacted instinctually, pulling out his wand and pointing it between the boy's eyes.

"Don't you dare try me Seamus!" Harry growled, holding his wand steady and ready to cast.

"And you wonder why she's worried about me sharing a dorm with you?!" asked Seamus, indicating Harry's wand.

"You know what?" Harry started, reaching for his invisibility cloak and the Marauders' Map. "Sod off. I'll find someplace else to be tonight so you and mummy can stop worrying about me, you prick!"

Ron entered at that moment.

"What's going on?" he asked, seeing Harry holding his cloak.

"Goodnight Ron!" said Harry, already halfway down the stairs.

He was out the portrait hole and in the corridors in a minute. It was very late, but he knew the halls and passageways well enough that he wasn't worried about getting lost. Maybe he could find Dobby in the morning and ask about a place he could sleep if he needed to keep out of the tower some nights. He pulled out the map, and used it to ensure he wouldn't run into anyone.

Not for the first time, he was grateful he had the map, because twice he had to dodge a patrolling teacher, but in the end he found his way to the library. He already knew he wasn't getting a wink of sleep that night and he wanted to burn off his energy by looking up some new spells.

He actually wanted to practice his spell work, or even go flying, but there was no chance of that tonight, not without getting caught. The library was his best compromise.

"Hermione would approve anyway," he thought dully.

He was already regretting his attitude towards Seamus. Not that he cared about staying out all night, but he shouldn't have been so hard on the boy. He was just scared… so was his mother.

"I'm getting angry way too easily," he muttered to himself. "There's got to be a way to control this."

He pulled out his wand and cast the cheering charm on himself, and instantly felt a lot of his anger roll away, and he felt happier and more relaxed than he had all summer long. He let out a very long breath and rolled his shoulders back.

"That's much better," he said, smiling, although he didn't know at what. "Now then, what do you have for me?"

He began to pull down books almost at random, and study from them. Many of the spells he found were completely useless, or were for such specific things that he didn't think they'd help him out much. A charm that caused instruments to play themselves didn't really seem like the sort of thing that would help him defeat Voldemort.

So he moved onto the next book, and the next, and the next. He looked over spell after spell after spell, jotting down ones he thought might be useful, or that captured his interest.

After a few hours, his cheering charm faded and he repeated the spell, making himself giggle aloud, and it was only between spells that he noticed his scar was burning dully. He studied through the night and almost up to breakfast the next morning. Looking at his watch, he cracked his fingers and stood, stretching before slipping out of the library and moving down to the great hall.

He found Ron, Hermione, Daphne, Neville and Tracey all eating together, and Daphne kept glancing at the door.

"I'm sure he'll be down," he heard Ron say. "He was really steamed last night; he just needed some space."

"I'm still worried," she said.

Harry repeated his cheering charm and sat down next to Daphne, removing his cloak.

"Ta-da!" he said, smiling at her.

"Harry!" she hissed softly, before embracing him. "Harry… you didn't sleep at all, did you? You look terrible!"

"I love you too," he said cheerily, and kissed her on the cheek.

This caused everyone to stop and look at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted several extra arms.

"Are you… ok?" asked Hermione.

"I'm great!" he replied, grabbing some toast and eggs. "What classes have we got today?"

"Ron said you stepped out of the tower last night," said Hermione carefully.

"I'd have thought you and Daphne wanted a late-night rendezvous," said Tracey. "But she didn't leave the dorm."

"And you're a little… too happy," said Neville, looking at Harry.

"What?" he asked, looking at them all. "A guy can't smile?"


	20. Balance

Chapter 20: Balance

They walked out and their group began to move towards defense, but Daphne grabbed Harry by the back of his robes, which was something he thought was positively delightful.

"You go on," she said to the group. "I would like to have a word with my boyfriend."

"Be gentle with him," said Tracey, grinning. "Or don't. Have some fun for once. All the same, best not be late to that ministry lady's first class."

"Goodbye Tracey."

As soon as they left, Daphne moved him into an empty classroom and closed the door behind them, quickly casting the silencing charm.

"So," she said softly. "How long have you been casting the cheering charm on yourself?"

"Oh," said Harry, beaming at her and feeling positively bubbly. "Since after the feast."

"All night then?" she asked, sighing.

"More or less," he said, unable to stop smiling.

She pulled out her wand, which for some reason struck him as very funny, and he began to chuckle, unable to stop.

"I love you," he said suddenly, still laughing. "I really do."

She wiped her eye, and whispered, "I love you too, Harry. I'm sorry I have to do this."

She waved her wand, whispering something under her breath, and he felt as if someone had sucked all the happiness out of him, not unlike a dementor. After a long moment, he realized what she'd done.

He wasn't angry with her, but it still hurt a little. He'd been feeling so good up until now and now he felt like his whole world was coming right back down on him.

"Harry, you know you can't overuse the cheering charm! Flitwick taught us that in third year. You end up unable to stop laughing and can't think clearly. It's only to be used sparingly. You've had yourself under this charm for the past… ten hours, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," he said, feeling very depressed now. "Thereabouts."

She embraced him, kissing his neck before burying her face in collarbone. It took him a moment or two to realize she was crying. It was soft, barely audible, but definitely present.

"I'm scared Harry," she whispered. "I don't know what's happening. I know he's back and I know the prophecy, but I don't understand any of this. Voldemort must be doing something to you and I can't solve it! I hate this! I hate being useless. I've tried to approach this from every angle I can think of! I swear I did, but there's so little information on dark magic in the first place and something like your scar is just new territory. I don't know what to think and I can't help you!"

"Daphne," he said, firmly. "I know you're doing all you can. I love you for it. This isn't easy on either of us. I'm always angry when I'm not around you and I keep lashing out at people no matter how hard I try to keep my mind straight. Everything makes me angry. Dumbledore, Seamus, Voldemort… It's only around you and Sirius that I feel at all like myself. The rest of the time I'm just… furious, at everything."

"Do you think talking to Dumbledore would help?"

"Doubt it," scowled Harry. "I've been trying to talk to him all summer, but after the order meeting it was like I didn't exist."

Daphne pulled away from his shoulder, wiping her eyes. He noticed, dully, that he must've grown since last year, but he was a little taller than she was now.

"We should get to class," she said, reaching out and taking his hand. "I don't think Umbridge will cut you any slack."

"Probably not," he said, squeezing her hand. "Daphne?"

"Yes?"

"I can't thank you enough for being there for me. I know it's not easy for you."

"I'm a Slytherin, Harry Potter, and when we decide we want something, we go all out for it. I want you."

Harry smiled softly at her.

"Tracey would applaud your choice of words."

"She would," Daphne agreed.

They walked towards Defense Against the Dark Arts, hand-in-hand and not caring who saw. Luckily, they _did_ manage to make it in time, if only just. Daphne released his hand and sat down next to Tracey while he sat next to Ron and Hermione.

"Did she…" Hermione began only to be interrupted by their toad of a teacher.

"Good morning class," she said, sweetly.

A few people mumbled back good mornings.

"Tut tut," she said smiling. "That just won't do, class. When I say 'Good morning' you will reply, 'Good morning, Professor Umbridge.' Now, once more. Good morning class."

"Good morning, Professor Umbridge," they said in unison.

"There now. Wands away and quills out please."

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Harry would find that his initial concerns about Umbridge had been entirely wrong. She was _far_ worse than he'd imagined. Over the course of the class, he was growing more and more restless. Twice, Ron tapped him because Harry had started knocking on the table without realizing it.

"Who do you imagine would want to attack children such as yourselves?" she asked Hermione.

"Oh I don't know," Harry called out, sarcastically. "What about Lord Voldemort?!"

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."

Harry stood, shoving his hand into his pockets for his wand, but thankfully managed to keep his head about himself. Ron tugged at his sleeve and he sat down again, glaring daggers at the ministry toad.

"You have been told a certain dark wizard is at large again," she said, looking at the children. "But _this is a lie._ "

"It's not a lie!" Harry shouted, unable to stop himself. "I saw him! I fought him and he killed Cedric!"

"Mr. Diggory's death was a tragic _accident_."

"It was murder!"

"Detention tomorrow night Mr. Potter. My office at five P.M. Now, as I was saying, _this is a lie._ There is no one out there. No one wants to hurt you."

"So the ministry's always right then?"

"We have all situations well in hand, Mr. Potter."

"So you didn't have Sirius Black falsely imprisioned for fourteen years, then? Only because that seems as if you did not have the situation well in hand there."

This time it was not Harry who had spoken, but Daphne. He looked over at her and saw fire dancing in the blonde girl's eyes. Never had he admired her courage more than he did in that second. The rest of the class, even those who might believe him, didn't say anything, but she had no such issue standing up.

However, Umbridge looked as if she'd just discovered a particularly large and juicy treat on a plate before her.

"And you are, dear?"

"Daphne Greengrass!"

"Well, you will also be joining me for detention tomorrow evening, Miss Greengrass. I had rather hoped a student from Slytherin would be more respectful. Mr. Black was found at the scene of a crime, and we used the best information we had at that time and has now been given full recompense from the ministry."

Daphne sat back down, smiling, and to his satisfaction, a few members of the classroom had begun muttering amongst themselves. She'd brought up a good point and there was no point in denying what she'd said. However, Harry wasn't done, because his anger was still burning and having come off the cheering charms he was itching to let it loose.

"It's a wonder you lot aren't still trying to deny Voldemort was around the first time! I had considered becoming and auror last year, but believe me now. If you're what the ministry has to offer I'd be better off trying to do it all on my own."

Umbridge sat down, and began scribbling something on a piece of paper.

"Come here, Mr. Potter."

Harry kicked his chair out, taking any excuse to get away out of the classroom.

* * *

"So what'd she do to you?" asked Ron that evening.

"A whole week's worth of detention," growled Harry. "If Voldemort wasn't a focus of mine, I'd consider gearing up to kill _her_ instead."

" _Harry!_ " snapped Hermione.

"And what's McGonagall say about it?" Harry asked bitterly, not listening to Hermione. "Just keep my head down. Be a good little boy and pretend the world's all sunshine and lollypops. It's no wonder the order's not got anything done if they're all being cowards."

"Though it's a fair bit… extreme, I must admit you have a point," said Daphne, rubbing his back softly. "It's a bit disconcerting to see something like this pushed aside. I'm sure they have to cooperate with the ministry, but there are limits."

"Well, at least you've only got one night with her," he said, softening as he looked at her. "Thanks for sticking up for me by the way."

She smiled at him.

"I'm just glad you're done trying to cut me out of it."

"Well, you were rather determined."

"Slytherin, remember?"

"Of course."

"We should've said something too," said Ron, looking slightly abashed. "Sorry Harry."

"Well, you two are used to doing as you're told, right?" Harry said, with more venom in his voice than he meant to use.

He supposed he was still a bit hurt over their ignoring him over the summer.

"Harry, that's not fair!" said Hermione, looking rather hurt. "Dumbledore said…"

"I know!" he all but shouted. "I know Hermione."

"My my Potter," said a voice Harry certainly was in no mood to hear at that moment. "Losing your mind already? That's got to be a record for you. Don't you normally wait until the end of the year to start shouting at everyone? Must be hard going against the Dark Lord."

"Hello there, Malfoy," said Daphne, wearing her Ice Queen mask. "You've taken an uncharacteristically long time to annoy us this year. Losing your edge without my little sister backing you up? I suppose she was really the power, brains _and_ beauty behind your couple. Still, at least she's moved on to better prospects."

" _Who?!"_ Malfoy asked, spitting angrily.

"Touched a nerve, has she?" asked Harry, smiling. "Don't feel bad. You hid what a smarmy git you are for a long time Malfoy. Besides, I'm really glad you two didn't work out. Just think, we might've ended up being in-laws."

Malfoy sneered and turned on his heel as he moved towards the Slytherin common room, with his cloak billowing behind him.

"Pompous ass," Harry growled. "I swear I'm going to get him this year."

Daphne looked to him and he saw her face was slightly pink. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, not speaking.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Not that I mind, of course."

"Nothing at all," she said in a voice that made him doubt her words.

They moved to the great hall, and ate together while Ron tried to talk to Harry about quidditch. Honestly he hadn't even considered whether or not he'd play this year. It seemed like such an inconsequential thing when compared to the threat of the death eaters and Voldemort. Still, out of interest for his friendship with the red-head he did his best to participate.

He couldn't help but notice that while they spoke, Tracey and Daphne all put their heads together and spoke in soft voices. He had no clue what they might be talking about it, but he fully trusted Daphne and didn't think that Tracey had any real reason to plot against him at all.

Hermione remained buried in the book for their defense class and Harry sat, wondering how in the world he was supposed to survive through the year.


	21. Think Like a Slytherin

Chapter 21: Think Like a Slytherin

Harry sat, glaring at Umbridge and feeling like he'd like nothing more than to hit her right in her overly-smug face. Still, he managed to push the feeling down and sat at the desk she indicated to both him and Daphne.

"What will we be doing tonight?" asked Daphne, adopting her Ice Queen persona.

"Oh you'll be writing lines for me," she said. "I would like you to both write, 'I must not tell lies."

Harry growled, grabbing the quill from the table.

"How many times?" he asked, clenching his teeth.

"Oh," Umbridge said, dismissively. "As many times as it takes for it to sink in."

Harry growled and began to write on the paper only to feel a stinging pain on the back of his hand. He looked at it, and too his shock saw the exact same mark he'd made on the parchment reappear on the back of his hand in blood. He looked up at Daphne. While her face remained impassive, he could clearly see the horrified expression in her eyes.

He opened his mouth to object, but Daphne bumped his hand with hers, and almost imperceptibly shook her head. Harry looked deep into her blue eyes, trying to ask if she was sure without actually using any words. She looked back into his and he took that to mean that she was sure.

"Is there a problem?" Umbridge asked sweetly.

"No," said Harry, looking back to the paper and writing out _I must not tell lies_ over and over and over again. After an hour and a half, Umbridge let them both go, still smiling sweetly.

"Mr. Potter," she said. "I shall see you back tomorrow night. As for you Miss Greengrass, I should hope that this lesson will not need to be taught to you again."

"No Professor Umbridge," said Daphne, shaking her head. "Might I keep the sheet with me though, as a reminder? I would like to have something to keep around in case I should feel the urge to cause trouble again."

Umbridge seemed surprised, but then smiled.

"If you think it will help you keep a civil tongue dear, then by all means."

Daphne pocketed the note and Harry began to follow her down towards the dungeons, holding her right hand with his left, so that he didn't rub her marks. His own reacted slightly to her hand, but he'd rather feel the pain and hold her hand than go without.

"That woman's a nutjob!" Harry hissed once they'd rounded the corner. "This is way out of line! Can't we do anything about this?"

He gestured to their hands.

"I'm thinking," said Daphne, kindly. "That's why I took the sheet of paper. It's evidence."

"I'd wondered," he said softly.

"This isn't something we can do by just knocking on a door and tattling, Harry. Umbridge is connected, and very vindictive. I expect she'll be monitoring our mail, so I can't talk to my parents, at least not without alerting her. We also can't just tell a teacher, or Dumbledore."

"Why not?" asked Harry, looking at her. "They surely wouldn't allow _this_."

"Maybe not," she said. "But I don't think it really matters anymore what they would or wouldn't allow. The ministry put her here as a power play, and the government has more power than the school does. I mean, who do you talk to if a member of the government _is_ the issue?"

"So what?" asked Harry, trying not to be angry with her. "We just sit and let this happen?"

"No," she said. "As I said, I'm collecting evidence here, Harry. I'm building a case against this woman, and I intend to hit her hard. But it can't be before we're ready. If we don't have enough, she'll walk and then she'll make sure we can't use anything against her again. We have to think this one out before we do anything."

Harry smiled softly at her.

"Think like Slytherin?"

"Precisely dear."

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek and he returned the gesture, feeling the small relief from his usual anger.

"Well, I suppose we'll see Sirius and your folks at Christmas, right? Could we tell them then?"

"Of course, and until then I have a bit of a pet project for you and I to work on together."

"Oh? Something to do with Voldemort or the prophecy?"

She shook her head.

"No, not directly anyway. I think we need to teach you how to learn to control your emotions and think before you respond."

Harry felt a surge of anger at that and was about to shout back, only to catch himself. Firstly, it was Daphne and she didn't accuse him of anything wildly, and secondly… she was right. He was talking out in anger… a lot these days.

"So you want me to learn your Ice Queen thing?"

"Not exactly. The Ice Queen is more of a side-effect of what I'm thinking… Do you know what occlumency is?"

Harry shook his head, looking her curiously.

"Never heard of it."

"Well occlumency is the practice of shielding your mind. Usually people do it to defend their minds from their opponent in a duel, but in order to learn it you have to learn total emotional control. My father wanted to make sure my thoughts would be safe as I began to grow older so he taught me after our third year. I was going to wait on teaching you it, but I think it might be a good idea now. It should help with your dreams too... I hope."

Harry considered it, but in the end was forced to accept that Daphne hadn't steered him wrong yet, and he trusted her judgment more than his own at that moment.

"Alright," he said nodding. "Should we start this weekend?"

"Alright," she said. "But take some time before bed to try and work on meditation. It'll be hard, but it will help you relax and calm your mind. Also, this is going to take some time. You usually pick up something in a few days, but occlumency takes much longer. But don't worry, I'll be right there with you. I promise."

"I love you."

"And I you, Harry Potter."

He kissed her softly and watched as she disappeared into her common room. Fifteen minutes later, he collapsed in one of the armchairs by the common room fireplace. Somehow, he hadn't felt much like going to dinner, and everyone he'd passed was still talking.

 _The prophet says he's mad._

 _He reckons he saw Cedric Diggory murdered._

 _Thinks he saw you-know-who come back._

 _Always knew he was barking._

He was sick of it, all the crap. It was the same, almost every year now. Either he was evil, an attention-seeking prat, or a liar. This year he was all three. He tried to pass the time before bed productively. He worked on his schoolwork and treated his firebolt with the broom service kit. The entire time his hand burned and stung.

He growled, thinking of Umbridge and her insane new treatment of Hogwarts.

 _I must not tell lies…_

Eventually he gave up and decided to head to bed early. Before he actually lay his head on his pillow, he did his best to practice relaxing like Daphne had said. However, the moment he seemed to come close to relaxing, a surge of anger seemed to invade his mind, and cause his entire system to tense up.

Frustrated, he went to sleep, and dreamed once more of the graveyard, and Cedric's death.

When he awoke the next morning, Ron had already gone down to breakfast, and Harry saw that he'd slept well into the morning, if you could even call it sleep. He'd woken every few hours, and been unable to rest much. In fact, it felt as if he hadn't slept at all.

He dully got dressed and head down to the great hall, meeting Daphne on the way. She looked at him and he knew she was examining him.

"This is way out of hand," she said. "I'm worried you're going to get seriously hurt, Harry. Your brain isn't getting time to heal. It's little wonder your emotions are going nuts. I don't know how you're as put together as you are."

She slipped him a dreamless sleep potion.

"It's probably still too soon for you to use another one of these, but at this point it's doing too much damage for you to _not_ use one. You still won't go to Madam Pomfery?"

"I've got to talk with Dumbledore after breakfast, finally," said Harry, shaking himself. "If he doesn't have anything to say about it, I'll talk to her. Deal?"

She smiled and nodded her pleased nod. Then, she looped her arm around his and pulled him to their spot at the Gryffindor table. Ron, Hermione, Tracey, Neville and Astoria were already there, eating and chatting amongst themselves.

"Morning Harry," said Tracey. "And how are you two lovebirds today?"

Harry grumbled, sitting down and pulling some porridge towards himself. He did take a second to glance towards Daphne's hand and saw, to his pleasure, that her marks had appeared to be healing cleanly. His own hand was still very red, but he shrugged it off. He already had far worse scars than anything a blood quill could give him.

"So what'd you two have to do for Umbridge?" asked Ron.

Harry opened his mouth, but then thought better of it. The last thing he needed was them all pitying or patronizing him over Umbridge.

"Lines," he said, eventually.

"Oh," said Hermione. "Well that's not bad then. Honestly, I'd expected much worse."

The others nodded in agreement, except for Astoria, who looked curiously at Harry. He had an unpleasant feeling that she was not fooled by his half-truth. She may be two years younger than the rest of their group, but she was unusually attentive.

"So," said Ron, as if their previous conversation hadn't happened. "You decided if you're going to play quidditch this year? I mean, we could really use you, Harry. Everyone knows you're the best seeker there is."

"I've got a fair bit on my plate already," said Harry, trying to remain calm. "Dark Lord trying to kill me and all that."

The red-head had the grace to look slightly abashed.

"Well then," said Ron, clearly casting around for something. "What do you say to a game of chess?"

"I've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry, standing up. "He's going to tell me whatever it was he wanted to say over the summer… I think. I don't see why it took so damn long, but at least it's happening now."

"I'll come with you," said Daphne. "I have a few questions of my own and as you've shown, it takes an awfully long time to get an appointment with the headmaster."

They left the great hall and head up to the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office and Harry looked at it, mentally trying to relax again. To his surprise he was have a good deal more success with it than he had last night.

"Liquorish Wands," said Harry, giving the password.

The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside and the pair of them stepped onto the spiraling staircase that lead up to the headmaster's office. Daphne softly rubbed his right hand, humming softly. Over the summer, he'd discovered she had a hidden talent for singing. She'd never done so at Hogwarts, but she was very good. More than once, when he'd been too stressed and angry to think, she'd just sang softly for him and held him until he would feel better.

He knew he could never repay her enough for everything she'd done for him. He kept half-expecting her to call a debt he owed her, and one he knew would spell doom for him if she did. However, she never once used any of what she'd done against him. Rather, she seemed to think that it was exactly what was expected of her, and she did it with a smile on her face.

He mentally made a note that he would take her to Hogsmeade the first chance he got and buy her a month's worth of sugar quills.


	22. Reasons and Theories

Chapter 22: Reasons and Theories

"So," Harry began, holding Daphne's hand. "You think Voldemort made himself… immortal?"

"Not exactly," said Dumbledore, looking much older than Harry remembered. "I believe he made several fail-safes, such as the diary from your second year, in case he was defeated. I intended to talk to you more about this next year. However, as you and Miss Greengrass have pointed out, you have every right to know what is going on."

He looked at Daphne, who seemed to be thinking very hard and very fast.

"What about your other theory?" Harry asked, shaking himself a little. "About the _power he knows not?_ "

"Ah," said Dumbledore, popping a lemon drop into his mouth. "On that, I admit I am moving a bit more into the realm of theories and guesses rather than proof. However, it is my best understanding that the power you have, Harry—that power Voldemort does not know, is love."

"Love?" Harry repeated, feeling confused and slightly disappointed. "Just love?"

"Just love?" Dumbledore repeated, looking at Harry with concern. "Harry, my boy. You hold no small amount of love for several people, do you not?"

"Well," Harry said, looking at the blonde Slytherin next to him. "I love Daphne and Sirius. But, sir, I don't see how love can stop Voldemort. I mean, should I just hug him? Or…"

Dumbledore smiled softly, which made Harry's anger twitch slightly.

"Tell me Harry, you've suffered from increased anger this summer, yes? I imagine it's been rather hard on you ever since the graveyard?"

Harry looked down at his shoes, trying not to show his shame. The headmaster was completely right, of course.

"It's been… an adjustment for him," said Daphne. "I thought it might be a form of post-traumatic stress, but we can't exactly see any doctors or healers without a bunch of questions being asked."

Harry looked up and forced himself to speak, despite his knees shaking.

"I dream of the graveyard a lot. But that doesn't explain the anger, sir. I'm mad about everything! I'm yelling at people when I wouldn't do it normally."

"Exactly Harry. You are connected to Voldemort through the curse that failed to kill you. You have always felt it hurt when he was close to you, haven't you?"

Harry rubbed the scar at this, thinking back. It was true that he had often felt his scar burn when Voldemort was nearby.

"Yes sir," he said, as Daphne rubbed his back softly.

"Now, over the summer, when you were with Miss Greengrass, or Sirius. Was your anger still present? Or was it lessened in their presence?"

"Well," said Harry, trying to remember. "I suppose it was always less when they were around. Not that it was completely gone, but it wasn't as intense around them. But that doesn't explain what's happening, sir."

"But it does, my boy," said Dumbledore, causing Harry to growl. "Please, do not be angry with me. When you are feeling anger, sorrow and rage, I believe you are connecting almost directly to Voldemort's emotional state. It is not your anger you feel boiling at you all the time, but his. Tom now lives in a constant state of anger and aggression, even during his moments of planning or gloating. I believe he has never known a form of love. I believe he rejected it completely after his childhood."

"So when I love Daphne, or Sirius, it's… breaking through? He can't influence me when that happens?"

Dumbledore looked at him and Harry suddenly focused on the feeling of Daphne's hand in his. As he did so, he could feel the anger lessen, as his love grew.

"I do not think he is aware of his influence over you," said Dumbledore. "But yes, Harry. I believe he does have an effect on you."

Harry looked into the distance, and thought deeply on it. The headmaster's idea seemed to fit. It would explain why he couldn't help but snap at people all the time and why he was angry even when he tried to remain calm. It also explained why it had been so much worse since he'd left the Dursleys.

"So what do I do?" asked Harry. "I can't exactly be around Daphne every second of the day."

"No," said Dumbledore. "You cannot Harry. While you've proved yourself to be responsible young adults, I do not think it would do to have you both interrupting each other's classes and study sessions. I had hoped to wait until after Christmas for this, but I think you should take up occlumency lessons, Harry. Do you know what occlumency is?"

Harry saw that the headmaster was preparing to explain, so he quickly nodded.

"Yes sir. Daphne is actually going to start training me in it. She said she thinks it would help me sleep."

Dumbledore paused, looking between the two of them.

"That is… most surprising, Harry. Well, Miss Greengrass, I must complement you on your resourcefulness and thoughts. I rather agree with you on this matter. Therefore, I will ask Professor Snape to teach you how you shield your mind, Harry."

"No, sir," said Daphne, firmly. "I agree with Harry's learning occlumency, but not from Professor Snape. He may be a capable user in both legilimens and occlumency, but he hates Harry."

"He does not hate…" Dumbledore began but Harry overrode him.

"Yes he does!"

"And Harry's feelings against my head of house mean that the lessons would likely only do more harm than good, even if Snape is an accomplished user of the arts," Daphne said, staring right at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore seemed to consider her words for a long moment, before sitting back at his desk and staring at the blonde girl from behind both of his hands.

"Professor Snape has an invested reason for seeing to it that Harry is able to take care of himself."

Daphne laughed, loud and with mirth.

"Professor," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. "Reasons that Snape may have not withstanding, there is no one who cares more about Harry's ability to handle himself more than myself, or perhaps Sirius Black. Now, Sirius is unable to properly teach Harry, given that they are not in constant contact and I am not sure as to how accomplished Sirius is with mind magic after Azkaban. However, I am fairly skilled and know more than enough to teach him the basics. If he requires teachings beyond my skill, _then_ I would be open to discussing another tutor. However, even at that stage I would be strongly opposed to Professor Snape's teachings."

"Miss Greengrass," said Dumbledore, rubbing his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. "You must understand that Professor Snape is a teacher first and foremost. The grudge he holds against Harry's father isn't…"

"Harry," said Daphne, sharply. "What is your grade in potions right now?"

Harry looked at her, slightly confused. This was certainly not something they had discussed beforehand. However, at this moment, Daphne held more of his trust than the headmaster did.

"Between acceptable and exceeds expectations, I think."

"And tell me, you're rather and accomplished cook. Aren't you?"

Harry looked down at his shoes again, thinking of the Dursleys. However, his voice was firm.

"I'm very skilled for my age, yes."

"And cooking at its base is merely combining base ingredients at a proper time and temperature in order to create something else, isn't it headmaster?"

"Well… yes," said Dumbledore, eyeing her carefully.

"So why would Harry exceed in one of these and only be adequate at the other when they are so similar? As I see it there are two options. Either Harry is magically inadequate, which is ludicrous. Or, his teacher is either sabotaging him or otherwise judging him by a harsher standard than his peers. I think we can agree either possibility regarding Snape makes him less than ideal for Harry's tutorage."

Harry looked at Daphne, not for the first time amazed at her fiery bravery. She was staring down and arguing against arguably the most powerful wizard of their age and she didn't even flinch. The headmaster looked between the two of them, and then looked at Harry.

"Do you agree with Miss Greengrass' assessment, Harry?"

"Entirely sir," he said. "Even outside of my personal opinion of Snape, which is much along the same line, Daphne has been beside me through many hard moments in my life over the past year, sir. I would trust her with my life."

Dumbledore looked between them again.

"I sincerely hope that is true, Harry, because that may very well be what is at stake. However, you've both proven yourselves set on this path. Miss Greengrass, you and Mr. Potter will be given express permission to remain out past curfew in the efforts of learning occlumency. I trust that I will not find you abusing this privilege?"

"Of course, sir," said Daphne, relaxing considerably. "Thank you for your trust in us."

Dumbledore bowed and waved one arm towards the door. Daphne stood, and began to move towards it. Harry, however, remained seated. Something had been digging at him and he was tired of pushing the question aside.

"Sir," he said. "Why did you really send me to the Dursleys?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand. I've already told you why I felt you were safest there, Harry."

"Yeah," said Harry, looking at him firmly. "But I don't believe that. I'm sure there _are_ blood wards at their house and I'm sure they do keep me somewhat safe. But you've got no blood wards at Hogwarts. Would you consider me unsafe while I am here?"

"You must understand I do my best to protect every student here, Harry. I grant you that your time here has been… eventful to put it lightly."

"Right, but am I any less safe here than at the Dursleys?"

"I would say that you are equally safe here, Harry, yes."

"So why is it you refused to let me stay here after my first year, or _any_ year for that matter? You know how much I hate going back. I know you know about some of my treatment there. I mean, my first Hogwarts letter was address to my cupboard."

Daphne stiffened at this, and he could feel her anger at the mention of his childhood treatment. Dumbledore placed his hands on his head and looked at Harry, and he could see a few tears begin to leak from his eyes.

"Harry," he said softly. "You must know, that I consider many of my worst failings to be around what I've done to you. While you may not be my single greatest mistake, I have made more errors involving your childhood than I would ever care to admit. However, I also did not send you there lightly. I know what you endured at their hands, Harry, and it pains me more than you can know."

Harry felt his inner fire burn at those words.

"More than I can know?" he repeated, growling the words. "I WAS HATED IN THAT HOUSE. I _AM_ HATED IN THAT HOUSE, JUST BECAUSE I HAVE MAGIC! JUST TELL ME WHY? WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS SO DAMN IMPORTANT THAT I COULDN'T HAVE STAYED HERE?"

"Because!" Dumbledore said sharply, standing up and looking into Harry's eyes. "I couldn't watch you turn into Voldemort!"

Harry sat back down, not realizing he'd stood up. He looked at the headmaster, letting the words circle around in his head.

"What?"

"When Tom came here, Harry, he had much a tragic childhood as you had. His father hated magic much as your aunt and uncle did. Just as you did he begged me to let him stay the summers here at Hogwarts. Because I cared for the boy, I agreed and let him stay the summers here… Once that happened, he began to hate everything to do with the muggle world. I think the hate was there before, but once I allowed him to turn his back on it entirely, I… I enabled his hatred and betrayal of the muggle-borns. Because I didn't want to hurt him, I allowed him to become Voldemort."

Harry looked at him, unsure of what to say.

"So, when I asked you to stay…"

"I admit Harry, my inner fears sprang up. Your request reminded me all too much of Tom Riddle. I was desperate not to repeat my mistakes, and so I thought that if you could see the world you might not hate the muggles as Tom came to hate them. I knew you would never see your aunt and uncle as a proper family, but I hoped to avoid the hatred that Tom harbored against the non-magical world… I admit I cannot know if I made the right choice or not Harry. I merely could not let the world suffer another powerful wizard who hated the muggle world. I… in my weakness… I could not do it."

Harry stood and walked to the door, taking Daphne's hand in his.

"Headmaster," he said solidly, focusing on his love for Daphne to avoid yelling the words. "You need to stop playing with my life without my knowledge. I understand why you've done what you've done, and honestly, I think I often would've agreed with you. However, I'm getting increasing tired of hearing how you've manipulated my life, even with good intentions."

At that, he and Daphne walked out of the headmaster's office.


	23. Peace and Plans

Chapter 23: Peace and Plans

Harry sat in transfiguration a few weeks later, feeling something he hadn't felt since before the third task last year, joy. Umbridge had been named High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, which sounded like a title she'd made up herself. However, there were a few happenings in relation to this new appointment that Harry was greatly enjoying. The first was that Umbridge had decided to sit in on McGonagall's transfiguration lesson.

Harry was forced to admit that more than once he'd thought that the transfiguration professor was a bit strict, but not unfairly so. However, when she was placed up against Umbridge, it was clear that the toad-like woman couldn't find a leg to stand on around the seasoned professor.

"I wonder," said McGonagall, staring daggers at the woman. "How you expect to get an idea of my teaching style if you repeatedly interrupt me. You see, I don't not usually allow people to _talk while I am talking._ "

The newly-appointed High Inquisitor looked as if she'd been slapped in the face, and began hastily scribbling on her pad. Harry, for his part, wasn't particularly considered about McGonagall. Umbridge no doubt was not fond of the transfiguration professor, but McGonagall was an extremely capable teacher, and even Umbridge couldn't find much wrong with her teaching style.

The other thing that was rapidly improving his mood was that Sirius was due to visit him later in Hogsmeade. Harry had sent him a letter asking to speak and the next day, Hedwig had returned the next day with a small, square mirror and a set of instructions, so Harry could use it to contact Sirius when he needed to.

That night, after a fair amount of prodding from Daphne, he told his godfather about Umbridge and her blood quill. Sirius had at once been in an uproar and swore to personally visit him when he was permitted to, and they agreed to meet the next Hogsmeade weekend. However, he had promised to alert Cyrus and Elaine to the toad's punishments. Given how quickly they'd help Sirius clear his name, Harry had faith that they could help with what he'd mentally dubbed 'The Coming of the Toad.'

Of course, his new sessions with Daphne had helped too. He was more than a little uncomfortable with the idea of her diving into his memories, but she was always kind and gentle with him. She never remained in his head or forcibly seized hold of a memory that he was sensitive to.

Under her tutelage, he began to grasp the basics of occlumency. He was sure that if someone actually tried to force their way into his head, he'd still lose outright. Still, it was definitely helping his mood. He hadn't snapped at anyone all week, including Umbridge, despite her attempts to rile him up during classes.

It also helped that Daphne was not only a good teacher, but was particularly skilled in motivating him. They'd spent long nights atop the astronomy tower in each other's arms, which reminded him of how they had been together during the summer.

He would've loved to spend the whole day with Daphne and Sirius, but Hermione wanted to tackle the idea of defense meetings. Harry agreed that Umbridge wasn't teaching them anything about defense, but he doubted his own abilities in that area. Sure, he was capable, but he wasn't really any better than the others.

"You sure you won't give up on this idea of yours?" he asked her quietly as they got up to leave the classroom.

"Not until we really try," she said. "Besides, I'm not that only one who thinks you'll be a good teacher, Harry. Daphne and all of us are behind you. Besides a few people I know are also on board."

"Really?" asked Harry, concerned. "Already? Who?"

"Well…" she said, thinking to herself. "Ginny, of course. There's also Cho Chang and a few Hufflepuffs."

Upon hearing Cho's name, Harry realized he didn't feel the usual strange turning in his stomach that he had often had when he thought of her. This pleased him, because it meant he truly didn't feel anything for her. Sure, Cho would be his first crush, but he'd never love her like he did Daphne.

He considered briefly if any other woman he knew would've been able to put up with what he had going on between Voldemort and the rest of the world thinking him a liar. The list came up pretty short. There was Daphne and Hermione… and it pretty much stopped right there. Sure, Harry wasn't close to many women, but he had to admit Daphne was really the only one who could actually be in a relationship with him, because she was exactly what he needed.

She also wasn't just handling his problems for him. She was always insistent that he handle his own issues, but she would always be there to help him, and he liked that better. Rather than try and shield his mind from Voldemort's attacks or even block the connection herself, she taught him how to do it. It was like with Dumbledore too; she hadn't just charged the headmaster alone and spoken on his behalf. Rather, she'd gone _with_ him and they'd spoke to the professor together.

She was also fierce, and very strong-willed. He was still amazed at the fact that she'd refused to let anything come between them, be it Dumbledore, abusive relatives or the most evil wizard of the age. She was a true Slytherin, through-and–through. It made him all the more determined to do what he could to help her with her own life.

One thing he and Daphne quickly agreed on was stress relief, and they'd both delved into the other's hobby. He'd studied a lot of literature and read several of Daphne's stories. To his surprise, she was actually quite good. She would verbally dismiss it if he complemented her work, but he also could see the pale, pink blush she got when something made her a little giddy.

In return, she'd studied up on quidditch and flying in an effort to share his pastime with him. Truth be told, she wasn't horrible at flying, although she was extremely nervous. Still, he'd taken the chance to pull her onto his firebolt a few times and do a few leisurely laps around Hogwarts. Those moments they'd both enjoyed and Harry felt like he was letting her into his soul, just a bit.

Being so closely interlinked with Daphne left him feeling like an entirely different person from the start of the year. Sure, he still had occasional nightmares about the graveyard, but more often than not, he got a full night's rest. He also didn't wake up every night in a fury, or feel anger that wasn't his own boiling under the surface.

Not that he didn't ever get angry anymore. Malfoy in particular had a knack for striking his nerves. However, he'd began to learn proper emotional control and could see why Daphne often adopted her Ice Queen persona. He certainly wasn't as good as she was at it, but he'd began to make some progress and it was nice to keep some of this own thoughts and feelings private.

Daphne had also remained keen on encouraging him. She had often taken to complimenting him both during and outside of their lessons together. In return, Harry had made efforts to compliment her for all she did for him, although he was sure it never sounded as romantic as he intended it to. Daphne was the one who had any skill as a writer, after all.

Maybe it was just his new perception on things, but he was sure that their relationship had began to infect their friends as well. Tracey and Neville had started to go far more public with their relationship, although Harry had no doubt the Slytherin was the more daring between the two of them. While neither Ron her Hermione seemed to be dating anyone, their moods were generally improved and they didn't fight as often.

Not that the rest of the school was so accepting of their relationship. While _most_ of Gryffindor house seemed to either accept it or leave him alone, Harry had twice been approached by Romilda Vane, who insisted he was under a love spell. The idea made Harry laugh, because of the nature of such spells. There was no spell that could create love between to people. There were infatuation spells and lust potions and things of that nature, but love wasn't like that.

Granted he did appreciate Daphne physically, but his own history meant he was more than a little terrified of doing anything more than kissing her. Plus, he felt pretty sure that he didn't want to try for anything like that until after the matter with Voldemort was settled… one way or the other.

"Hello there," he heard from behind him as he felt Daphne slip her arm into his. "What's a handsome fellow like you doing in a place like this?"

He smiled at her, and winked.

"Waiting for a beautiful blonde lady so we can go to Hogsmeade. I intend to buy out Honeyduke's supply of sugar quills as a thanks for all the help she's given my lately."

"Sounds like you're an awfully lucky guy."

"More than I deserve," he said, and kissed her forehead as they exited the castle's main doors. "It's good to see you."

"You too," she said, smiling softly. "You ready to start up this defense group?"

"Not in the least," he said. "This is just something Hermione and you cooked up. I think it's nuts."

"Oh undoubtedly nuts," said Tracey, walking up with Neville. "But when have you ever been sane with us?"

"We all think you'll be great, Harry," said Neville, firmly. "I mean, you can do things half our year can't even start to think of. Personally, I'm excited to learn to defend myself properly."

Harry looked at him, and felt a strange pressure on him. He could tell that Neville was thinking of his parents, and Harry could see the familiar desire for revenge in the other boy's eyes.

"Right," said Harry, a bit distracted. "Well, you should know how to protect yourself. Still, that's a bit different than actually going and _looking_ for a fight, right Neville?"

Neville looked slightly taken aback.

"Right, of course!"

They climbed into one of the carriages pulled by the strange skeletal horses, and set off for the small village. He looked around, admiring the snow while he cast warming charms on their group.

"So," he said, turning to Hermione. "What exactly is everyone expecting? What have you been telling people?"

"Oh nothing much," said Hermione in a way that made Harry curious. "I honestly expect to do most of the talking. I think people just want to _know_ you're there for all this, you know?"

"I'd certainly like to," he muttered, rubbing Daphne's shoulder.

Twenty minutes later, they pushed open the door of the Hog's Head, and Hermione led them to a table in the back. Harry was put off by the other patrons of the bar. He remembered thinking that Hagrid had said wearing a hood up was commonplace in the Hog's Head, and he had to admit that the half-giant had a good point. Many inside seemed to be ready to pull off a dementor costume at a moment's notice, and the thought made him shiver.

They grabbed their drinks and slowly, bit by bit, other students entered the bar and joined their table. However, the numbers didn't seem to stop. When there was nearly fifty students around them, Harry leaned over to Hermione.

"Thought you said it was just a few people," he muttered to her.

"Yes," she said, embarrassed. "Well, people seemed rather keen on the idea."

Harry looked around, and saw that every single set of eyes was focused on him.


	24. Teacher and Students

Chapter 24: Teacher and Students

Harry stood before them, mentally counting out how many of them had shown up. By his count, they actually had a few extra bodies. Still, he didn't figure that was a bad thing. Umbridge's classes hadn't become any less of a joke over time, so perhaps a few more people really wanted to learn something.

"Alright," said Harry, drawing on his courage. "I'm glad you all are here, but I'm going to be serious about this. If you want to learn something, you're in the right place, but if you're here to chat and make friends, join another club. This is just for people who really want to learn how to defend themselves, so if you've got any other motive, there's the door."

No one got up to move. 

"Right then," he said. "Let's start with the basics. No point trying anything more advanced if you don't have the basics. Today I figured we'd start with proper form and the Expelliarmus charm."

"Oh please," said a voice from a Hufflepuff near the entrance. "I don't reckon Expelliarmus will do anything to you-know-who, do you?"

"I used it on him!" said Harry. "But if you think that you could do the same thing, feel free to leave."

Dead silence, but no one moved.

"Right then," he said. "Everyone pair up and show me what you can do. I'll make sure you've got a good stance and proper aim. Once we feel good about that, I'll have two at a time do a proper duel."

"How's that supposed to be any different?" asked a Slytherin Harry didn't recognize.

"Look," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I know they teach us that duels are all proper and stuff, but they're not. If you're attacked, Voldemort isn't going to stroll up to you and bow. He's going to curse you when you're not looking and keep throwing them until you're dead. That's a duel. What we call dueling is more like a friendly match. Think of the difference between our flying lessons and professional quidditch matches."

The Slytherin girl nodded and they began to pair off. Looking between them, Harry was glad he'd suggested starting with the basics. Many of them cast the spells as if it didn't matter where their feet were at all. Hermione had the wand movements down, but left her whole body open as a target.

Ginny and her partner had a decent stance but need to learn proper aim. Still, he was always patient, and if he felt his anger begin to swell up, he just went through his occlumency routine until he was calm.

"Try again," he said. "And keep both eyes open. No point limiting your vision in a fight."

The Ravenclaw girl, Luna Lovegood, did as he said and hit Ginny square-on.

"Much better," he said, smiling while Luna caught the wand. "Keep it up."

"Thanks Harry," she said in a slightly dreamy voice. "This is really rather fun, isn't it?"

Harry decided against commenting on what she thought of as "fun." Maybe it was because he'd actually done battle, but he didn't see any way to connect offensive spells with fun. Flying or something like that, sure, but his jinxes and spells were for staying alive… at least lately.

He continued walking around the students, helping out or offering advice where he needed to. Once he was properly shown what to do, Neville seemed to really pick it up. Tracey got up, laughing while Neville handed her wand back. It did distress him a little that Cho and her friend, Marietta seemed to require so much extra help, given that she seemed perfectly capable when he'd been on the other side of the room.

He didn't voice his thoughts aloud and merely focused on helping her get the stance and aim down pat. After what he considered to be a few minutes too long, she let him move on. Daphne had helped him start thinking a little bit clearer, plus he'd gotten a fair amount of sleep over the past few months. All of this helped convince him that Cho definitely had an alternative motive in gaining his attention.

While he hadn't been the most open about the feelings he'd had for her in third year, he hadn't exactly been subtle either. She'd never given him a moment of her time until after Cedric had passed, only then was he actually on her radar. Even if that wasn't the case, he was more than happy being with Daphne. The beautiful, intelligent and determined girl had already shown him she was made of far stronger stuff than most women he'd met.

He cast his glance over at Daphne and saw her smoothly disarm Hermione. The bushy-haired girl immediately stood back up and took the wand Daphne held out for her before taking her own turn.

 _This isn't bad,_ he thought. _They have a lot of work to do, sure. But this isn't a bad start. Maybe we can do this after all._

Sure, the goal was really just defense, but Harry had no question that when the time came, Voldemort would bring the fight right to them, and he wasn't the _only_ threat out there.

"Alright, that's enough," said, giving a short blast on a whistle. "Everyone gather up and we'll begin dueling properly. It should go without saying, but don't try and do anything serious to each other."

He began to pair them off, selecting them randomly from the group. When they finished, he randomly selected another two until they finished and so on. Luckily they were all still fairly new to the idea, and no one lasted very long, so they still got out with plenty of time before curfew.

He began walking the halls with Daphne while she peered in classrooms, trying to find a good one where they could practice occlumency. He followed her, still smiling softly at how the night had gone. He'd commanded a group of students, and they'd listened and learned… all because of him. Sure he'd had help and hadn't organized the thing, but he had done something all his own. He'd done something good, and it felt good.

"Here," the blonde said, pulling him into a classroom on the fourth floor. "This should do. Are you ready?"

"Yes!" he said, still a bit over-happy from the training.

"And you've been practicing still, right?"

"Of course."

"Well done," she said, smiling slyly at him. "Alright then, legilimens!"

He felt her probe enter his mind, however he quickly brought up his defenses, and keep his emotions down and under his shields. He felt her probe and shift, trying to gain and advantage, but he managed to keep her probe at bay, keeping his mind sharp and on the target at every turn. After about a minute, she dropped the spell.

"Very well done indeed, Harry!" she said, jumping a little into his embrace. "I didn't get anything from you. You're doing really, really well! I wasn't this quick a study."

"Well, I've got a very lovely teacher. Makes me listen a little."

"Oh, so if I taught history of magic, you'd be just as good a student?"

"I'd certainly be sleeping in class less often."

She smiled again and kissed him. Harry kissed her back and pressed, just ever so slightly into her mouth. She moaned gently and ran her fingers through his hair while he slowly moved his hands up and down her back through her shirt. He felt that he truly could suffer anything if this moment of intimacy was the reward. He was caught between his desires yet again though. Part of him, the part of him that _was_ a fifteen-year-old boy, wanted to take things further with her, then and there. The half of him that was nervous and scared refused to budge an inch.

After a long moment, they separated, and Daphne placed her head in his chest before she sighed happily.

"I love you," he said, stroking her hair.

"And I you. Although sometimes you're too noble for your own good, Harry."

He raised an eyebrow, though didn't release her.

"How so?"

"It's nothing," she said, still holding onto him tightly. "I just want to stay here a while."

He waved his wand, conjuring a simple couch for them. He lay on it and she moved to lie on top of him, her head on his chest, while she softly traced the Gryffindor crest on his robes. She didn't say anything or move further, rather she just lay there, softly touching him with her fingertips.

After several long, blissful minutes, she spoke out suddenly.

"I'm really proud of you, you know? And not just for the occlumency. You've had so much on you since the graveyard, and you've not just given in. A lot of people would, and most wouldn't blame you if you did."

"I just never really figured I had a choice. It's me or Voldemort, in the end, right? I can't just let him win."

"But you could run. You certainly don't owe the world anything. But you don't run. You were given a chance to do something and you took it, without question or any thought of reward. Let's be honest for moment; I know you still don't fully expect to live through this."

"I… I just don't see how I could get through this without… you know?"

"I do. Don't get me wrong, Harry. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you live, and if I have even a 1% input on the final result, you _will_ live. But I'm scared sometimes. I have nightmares about being attack. But I don't even think that's the worst thing, at least not on it's own. I don't want to find you dead, and not be able to do a thing about. I don't want to leave you, ever because I'm afraid that when I do, that's when he'll attack. I don't want you to be apart from me for even a moment, because I don't want to hear that you got attacked and I was just being useless."

"I get that," he said, stroking her hair again. "I feel the same way about you a lot. I'm afraid Voldemort will take out my friends, just as a revenge move. What am I supposed to do if you die, or even Hermione or Tracey or Ron?"

"The world's a really scary place right now, Harry. I don't think anyone our age knows that like you do. I have daydreams of our future… dreams where you're alive and we have children together… little crying things with horrible messes of hair. Do you ever think of that sort of stuff?"

Harry sighed, hoping she wouldn't hate him for answering honestly.

"I don't," he said. "I can't. I… I want that. I do. But to actually think about it, when he's in front of me… it seems unreachable. It's like becoming minister of magic. Sure, some people out there can do it, but I don't feel like one of them. Granted, I also don't _want_ to be minister of magic, but still."

She suddenly grasped ahold of his robes, very tightly.

"Please," she said, her voice shaking horrible. "Please, just stay here tonight. I just… I don't want to watch you leave, and dream that it ends like that. I know it's stupid! I've told myself a thousand times that it won't be like that, but every damn time you leave me in the common room I swear I'll never see you again and I…"

"Daphne," he said softly, placing a finger on her lips. "All you had to do was ask."

She smiled up at him, tears pooling in her blue eyes and snuggled into his chest while he placed his free hand behind his head to serve as a pillow. They stayed that way until the next morning, when they were both awoken by the rays of the sun.


	25. Christmas

Chapter 25: Christmas

Harry had been having what was, without question, the best week of his entire life. Sirius had spent the entire Christmas break thus far spoiling him and his friends. He'd experienced many things he hadn't known anything about, both magical and muggle. Sirius had taken it upon himself to "fix" as much of Harry's upbringing as he could, and encourage him to get into trouble.

So, Harry learned about the Wizarding fairy tales, largely from the author Beetle the Bard. Personally, he preferred Daphne's writings, but he supposed that the stories were also meant for children. He spent hours listening to both muggle and wizard bands, and found that Sirius and he shared a taste in music that Sirius had described as being a "rock snob." Although Harry had no idea what it meant, it felt nice to know he could belong to a collective of normal people.

Sirius also introduced him to a series of muggle movies he'd only vaguely heard of. Sirius had insisted that his "education" begin with the star wars trilogy, which he'd said was possibly the best thing muggles had ever created. After watching the three films over the course of a day and half, Harry was inclined to agree.

Still, Sirius ensured that Harry did plenty of purely silly things that made him smile and laugh more than he ever had. The Black heir had taken him and his friends to an amusement park and a dance hall where Harry learned that he'd managed to keep most of his meager skill in dancing from the Yule Ball last year. They re-entered the house, still laughing and recounting their favorite moment from the holidays so far.

"Well hello," said Cyrus, smiling at him and Daphne. "And how was your adventure today?"

"A lot of fun," Daphne answered, briefly embracing her father. "Made me feel like a kid again."

"Yeah, it was great!" said Harry, smiling up at Sirius.

"Well, I'm glad," said Sirius, removing his overcoat. "A young man should be allowed to have fun, and no one deserves that more than you godson mine."

Harry embraced him and softly whispered.

"Sirius, I know you still blame yourself for your imprisonment, but you're a damn good parent."

When they separated, Sirius hastily looked down and wiped his eyes.

"Well," said Elaine. "Not to be a spoiler of fun, but you have a visitor in the sitting room, Harry."

"Really?" asked, Harry, removing his gloves and scarf. "Who?"

"Your headmaster."

Harry grew more serious and looked at Daphne. She nodded and they walked into the sitting room together, immediately seeing the headmaster sipping a cup of tea, seated in a large leather armchair.

"Ah," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Happy Christmas to the both of you."

"It's fitting that your arrival requires an announcement, headmaster," said Harry, flatly. "Given how monumentally rare a meeting with you actually is. I've been trying to meet with you for over a month, yet you are mysteriously absent while the ministry's literal toady is in your halls."

"I am afraid the ministry isn't my greatest issue right now," said Dumbledore, frowning. "Given the state of things with Voldemort, we must focus on destroying his horcruxes. I do not fear the ministry _killing_ my students."

"Perhaps you ought to," said Harry, subconsciously rubbing the back of his left hand, where the faint scars still showed. "Nevertheless, as you've got your focus, what progress have you made?"

Dumbledore looked slightly unsure, as if questioning whether or not to proceed.

"No more manipulations, sir," Harry reminded him.

"Of course," said Dumbledore. "Well, I've discovered some good news overall."

He placed a cracked ring on the table before them. Harry stared at it, and thought he could see the broken symbol of Slytherin House resting on it.

"Sir… is that… one of them?"

"No… rather, not anymore. _That_ is what I have been working on, Harry. We are now rid of Voldemort's horcruxes and I believe there are four more. I am not entirely sure of what they might be, but this has given me a decent guess."

"Really? What would they be sir?" asked Daphne, curiously looking at the ring.

"Well, Tom seems to place his fragments either in very personal items or items related to the founders of Hogwarts, which in a way are still personal to him. His diary and this ring seem to point to it, so I considered the items he might've been able to find throughout his years. During the summer I believe he had any number of months to locate an item belonging to the founders and two of them have my interest at this point."

"Only two?" said Harry, confused. "But I thought you said he made four more."

"Yes, but please hear me out. There are five more known artifacts from the founders. There is the sword of Gryffindor, which I believe we can eliminate as a horcrux, given the basilisk venom you embed in it, Harry. The sword is goblin-made and takes in that which makes it stronger, you see? Basilisk venom is one of the few ways one can actually destroy a horcrux, so I doubt the sword could ever be a horcrux."

"Ok, so one down, the others?'

"Well the only other relic of Gryffindor is the sorting hat, but as a magical living entity, again I think we're safe there. Finally we have the locket of Slytherin, Ravenclaw's diadem, and the cup of Hufflepuff."

"So which of the three do you think are horcruxes?"

"It is my opinion that all three are, Harry."

"But then, why only two…"

"Because I have a good idea where one of these may be. The cup of Hufflepuff is the only one of those three relics that has a public history, and it is now allegedly in the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange. Given her time in Azkaban before the breakout, I think it likely there is only one place she could've put it."

"Gringotts!" said Harry, slapping his hand to his forehead. "Of course, it's the safest place to put something given how highly they value their security."

"Yes, and it will take some work to get access to the cup, and even more to be permitted to destroy it without starting another goblin war. However, with Sirius' help I believe this should be possible, and I do not think the cup shall go anywhere soon, so I am not immediately concerned with it."

"Agreed," said Harry. "I'll have to talk to Sirius about this. If he's head of the Black line publicly now, maybe he can do something about Bellatrix, since she was a Black at one time."

"My thoughts precisely," said Dumbledore. "Now, the diadem and locket are what concern me because I am unsure of where Voldemort might've hidden either of them, although I do not think it unlikely that he has put one of them at Hogwarts, given how close it is to him. This ring was in his father's tomb, and the diary in the presence of one of his most influential death eaters. Although, I very much doubt Mr. Malfoy knew _exactly_ what it was his master had given him, or he wouldn't have given it to the young Miss Weasley."

"I doubt it. I imagine Voldemort was furious when he found out."

"And on that subject, how have you been doing with your occlumency?"

"Very well actually," said Harry. "I still get the occasional dream, but I'm not always angry now. Daphne has a really hard time breaking into my thoughts now."

"I'm very pleased to hear it, please continue to learn Harry. I would also urge you to continue with your defense group, although I would do so with caution."

Harry looked at him and resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'm not surprised you knew about that."

"Well I think it's a wonderful idea. The students should know how to defend themselves in the event of an attack."

"Thank you professor," said Harry, unsure of how he was supposed to take the statement.

"I believe both Miss Greengrass and your godfather have been teaching you more about the way our government works."

"Both Daphne and her parents, sir. We're bringing Umbridge to trial once we can get all the statements signed and get a date organized."

Dumbledore paused at this.

"Trial for what, precisely, my boy?"

"Several things. Primarily mistreatment of minors through punishment by blood quill."

At this, the headmaster looked alarmed.

"A blood quill? Are you quite certain? Harry, this is very serious! Why did you not come to be about this?"

Harry scowled slightly.

"Perhaps I might've done sir, if I felt you were in a position and reliable enough to help with something like this. You've got a focus on Voldemort, and I agree with it. Voldemort is a bigger threat than the ministry is right now, but that doesn't negate the fact that the ministry official they appointed _is_ a danger to the students, so I'm doing something about it."

"Harry, I hope you realize the complications involved in something like this."

"Of course," he said, smiling slightly. "Daphne's been teaching me, as you said. I'm the Potter heir and even if the ministry is saying I'm crazy, I do have power in the government. Granted, most of it won't be available to me until I graduate, but I still have a voice in the government, and I think it's high time I used it."

"I see… and what exactly do you intend to say?"

"Nothing I haven't said already, but the difference is I'm going to say it myself instead of letting others say it for me. No more interviews or quotes from third parties. People want to know what I think and say about something? They can listen to me directly."

Daphne seemed to snap out of a reverence she'd been trapped in for the past several minutes, and looked up at Harry, a question burning in her eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said, suddenly. "The locket of Slytherin, would it match this ring at all?"

Dumbledore looked at her, considering the question.

"Well," said Dumbledore. "I suppose it very well might. After all, both were supposedly worn by Slytherin, and were powerful enough to remain intact as horcruxes after all these years."

"Why, Daphne?" asked Harry, looking at her, concerned.

"Don't you remember Harry? Sirius told us about all sorts of things he cleared out of the house, including a weird golden locket with a snake on it."

"But… if that was… how could it have gotten here?" Harry asked, looking into her blue eyes.

"Sirius' brother was a death eater. If he trusted Lucius with the diary and Lestrange with the cup, why wouldn't he give Regulus the locket?"

"Sirius!" Harry called out, standing up quickly and pulling Daphne with him.

"What's wrong?" asked the older man, pushing through the door, wand drawn.

"You still have the trunk where we locked up all that dark stuff, right?"

"Of course, but why…"

"I'll explain downstairs. We need that locket you were telling us about this summer. It'll help us kills Voldemort!"

Sirius looked into his eyes, and nodded, running out of the room and down the stairs. Harry could hear him hastily undo the protective charms on the truck containing many of his family's dark artifacts."

"Daphne," Harry said, looking right at her. "You're bloody brilliant!"

He kissed her, hard and she straightened, caught off guard by his actions. However, after a split-second, she relaxed and kissed him back.

"So," he said excitedly, once they separated. "That's the diary, the ring, the locket and we know where the cup is, and figure one of the others is at Hogwarts! We might _actually_ be able to do this."

Daphne smiled broadly.

"Hope… a very nice Christmas present, I should think."


	26. Testimony

**A/N:** Hey all, know my updates have been a bit inconsistent and all. Honestly, I'm busy being a huge nerd, because I'm the dungeon master for a large group and we're getting ready to start a second campaign, so that's demanding a lot of my attention and focus. When I've not been busy with that, my church has a ton of stuff going on, and as the person in charge of the media ministry, I have to be involved in basically everything. So this has fallen into my "when I have time" category. However, I still intend to continue this story. Anyhow, thanks for understanding.

Chapter 26: Testimony

Harry stood and straightened his long robes, feeling more than a little nervous. He'd never done anything like this before. Even speaking at Sirius' hearing was relatively straightforward. He'd been instructed to wait until his name was called while the wizengamot examined the magical photos and bits of evidence that had been collected from Umbridge's office. So far, he felt they had a decent case, but it would be his job to address the court and clench it.

"The court will now hear from one Harry James Potter," he heard the minister say as the doors in front of him opened on their own, squealing loudly.

Harry walked into the large room, and mentally tried to keep track of who was looking at him with interest as opposed to his contempt. He had to play to his audience.

"Very well then," said the minister, dismissively. "You have the floor to speak on the events related to the placement of one Delores Jane Umbridge at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you minister," said Harry, bowing slightly.

This caught several of those watching off-guard, including Fudge, and Harry knew none of them suspected he had taken his studies in wizarding law or society seriously.

"I appreciate you all hearing my words on the matter concerning us here today," he said, keeping his occlumency shields up and his voice impassive as he could. "I have no desire to waste any of your time, nor my own with false claims. So, when I say that the manner of punishment Delores Umbridge imposed upon students was uncommon and cruel, I hope you all take it as serious a matter as I do."

Lucius Malfoy stood and spoke out.

"Is there any reason we are to seriously take what this boy has to say into consideration? He has been publicly revealed as making far-fetched claims on more than one occasion."

Harry almost smiled. He'd expected someone would make that objection, and already had an answer prepared.

"My previous allegations are not on the agenda today, Mr. Malfoy, but if the court will permit, let's address your issue. You say that I have made false claims before. I would ask, exactly what claims is it that you're referring to? Was it my claims that a servant of Lord Voldemort was within the school halls and attempting to steal the sorcerer's stone? Or rather, my claims against you yourself, when it was discovered that you had put one particularly dangerous artifact of the Dark Lord's into the possession of one Ginny Weasley? Or was it my claims that my godfather, the Heir of the House of Black was actually an innocent man, as you now all know him to be? Or perhaps you are referring to my claims only last year that I was entered into a championship for which I was underage and underprepared for against my will, again as has now been proven? I am not a liar, Mr. Malfoy."

This put the blonde man off for a moment, but only just for a moment. He quickly recovered himself and shout out again.

"I am, of course, referring to the absurd claim that the Dark Lord has returned to life."

"And as _I_ have pointed out, all-too-often I am proven to be right. I suggest your ask yourself a very hard question. If I _am_ telling the truth, as I always have done, what will happen when I am proven right, yet again. Who else will have died? How many people will he have hurt because you wanted to believe in a comforting lie?"

He saw his words had several members of the council talking amongst themselves and he felt pleased, knowing he'd at least sowed doubt in their minds. It was more than he'd done up until now.

"Order!" shouted the minister, banging a gavel. "We will return our attentions to the matters at hand!"

"Very well minister," said Harry, turning to the council at large. "I have offered my own signed testimony and given an account of the events in question, as has a few other students from the school, including Daphne Greengrass. The ministry placed Madam Umbridge at the school in order to keep an eye on what has been going on, except that I have always been transparent about my own experiences. I have, as requested, given both verbal testimony and memories in relation to the events in question, multiple times. You all have a job to do here, and I urge you to follow it through. Do what is right, instead of what is easy."

A few members began nodding, until Malfoy spoke again.

"You are no member of this council, Mr. Potter. Do no presume to know our responsibilities."

"But I do presume, Mr. Malfoy," said Harry, staring him down. "I will take a seat on this council one day, and I have no intention of taking a comfortable path. I intend to fight for what I see to be right, not what I see to be comfortable. So, when times do change, and they eventually shall, would you rather be seen as some of the innovators of our times, or someone who merely shut up and let darkness nearly overtake our entire way of life. Umbridge may not be a death eater, but she is wrong and clearly in violation of the law. So do the right thing… When my time comes, I know I will."

Harry turned on his heel and walked out as the hall erupted. Daphne and Sirius smiled at him as he returned to the waiting room.

"Well?" asked Sirius.

"Nothing definitive," said Harry, nodding. "But they listened, and they're talking. It's better than it might've been."

"That's fantastic!" Daphne said, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm really proud of you Harry. I can't wait to read the papers tomorrow."

"All a product of your work and patience, my dear," he said, smirking at her.

She rolled her eyes and swatted at him playfully.

"Well," said Sirius. "I believe you two have earned a proper dinner before I have to return you to the castle."

"I'm sure that'll make Hermione happy," Harry muttered to Daphne. "She'll have to go with Hagrid to see Gwarp again tonight."

"I still say he's a bit crazy to try to hide a giant in the forest."

"What do you want him to do?" asked Harry. "It's his brother… Well, half-brother, anyway."

"I didn't say it wasn't sweet, or even right. Just said it was a bit crazy."

"Well… you're not wrong."

"So Harry," said Sirius, acting as if he couldn't hear them. "How are your defense meetings moving forward?"

"Not bad, Sirius," said Harry. "We're actually working on the Patronus right now, and once Umbridge is gone and it's a proper club, I think I get McGonagall to find us a boggart to use as a dementor."

Sirius shivered, and Harry almost kicked himself. Most of the time, it was easy to forget that Sirius was a man who had been forced to live with those creatures for over a dozen years, slowly losing every happy feeling he'd ever had. Honestly, Harry figured it was part of the reason Sirius acted so happy and boisterous all the time, and it was something he understood, to a point.

It was part of the reason he never talked about the Dursleys, but at least he had Daphne now. Sirius just had him and Lupin, and the Black heir never breached the subject of Azkaban with him. On one hand, Harry appreciated the care Sirius had with him, but Sirius also needed to stop trying to make up for his absence up to Harry's third year. Harry never held it against him, even for a moment, and even though Sirius never said it, Harry knew he held it as one of his highest mistakes.

Sirius took them to a nice restaurant Harry couldn't pronounce the name of if he'd tried, but luckily the menus were in English. Daphne and he had once eaten at a French restaurant where not a thing on the menu was in English and Harry had needed to resort to pointing at the menu. This was the moment he discovered that Daphne was apparently fluent enough in the language to vaguely understand what the menu said, and order what she wanted. She'd spent a good part of the evening laughing at him for that, and honestly now that he could look back on it, he also found it funny.

Sirius brought them back to Hogsmeade in time for them to catch a carriage back to the castle before curfew, and Harry walked Daphne down to the dungeons. She kissed him goodnight and he head back up to the Gryffindor common room to be greeted by a series of clapping and cheers.

"What's all this then?" he asked, smiling at Fred and George.

"Well Harry…" said George.

"Word has it…" Fred continued.

"That you've taken care…"

"Of a nasty infestation in our dear castle."

"So!" said Ginny firmly, pushing the twins aside. "We all decided to throw a party, since Hogwarts is going to be free of the menace soon! Besides, it's been ages since we could celebrate without wondering if the toad was going to burst in and punish everyone!"

"Well," said Harry. "I just did what I could. Daphne's as much to thank for this as anyone."

Some people in the room grew a little quieter at that and Harry could tell that the idea of giving a Slytherin credit for anything wasn't sitting particularly well. However, no one objected, and Harry took that as progress.

"All the same," he said, standing on a chair. "Let's recognize something."

The room immediately silenced completely and every set of eyes turned to him. A year ago, he would've clamed up and refused to speak. However, he'd been training and had already spoken to a courtroom full of people twice this year, and here he was among friends and allies.

"Hogwarts is our school, and it belongs to us. Not the ministry and damn sure not any psychotic would-be toads."

"Here here!" shouted several voices, and a few people threw their hands up in the air.

"Still," Harry said, holding up his hands. "We need to remember this night isn't _just_ a victory for Gryffindor. This is a _Hogwarts_ victory, and there's one way we're able to keep this up. I know I can rely on a few of the people in this house, but there are people in other houses I consider reliable friends, and yes, at least three of them _are_ Slytherins."

The room began to mumble, and glance around confused.

"Slytherin isn't our eternal enemy. Sure, we compete against them in quidditch and for the house cup and in both of those, we'll squash them."

A cheer of _Gryffindor_ came up from the back, which he silenced.

"But there is a school-wide threat from the ministry and others in the outside world. When dark forces and government ignorance threaten us, it threatens _all_ of us. You may not like some students, that's fine. I'll never be friend with Malfoy or Smith, and I'm not asking you to be. However, I do expect you all to know who the real enemy is."

"Voldemort!" shouted someone from the back, and to Harry's surprise, most of the room began nodding.

"Exactly," he said, a little more softly before calling out again. "His return threatens a lot of lives. But more than that, it threatens our way of life. He wants us to huddle away in fear and terror. I don't know about you, but I have one response to that!"

He reached down and grabbed a butterbeer from the table, and held it high above his head.

"Fuck that!"

He took a long swig from the bottle and several of his housemates cheered, repeating his declaration and drinking too. He hopped off the chair while they began to shout and cheers against Voldemort went off here and there. Harry walked through the crowd and to his surprise, felt a strong hand on his shoulder, only to turn and see professor McGonagall.

"Oh," he said, a little sheepishly. "Hi, professor."

"I've, naturally, just arrived Mr. Potter. So I haven't heard your little speech just now, or I might have to punish you for certain language and behaviors. However, the message was good, and I'm pleased to see that Miss Greengrass has helped you develop some real character as a leader. I rather intend to have similar talk with the heads of the other houses, if perhaps a little less… vulgar. All the same, I'm proud of you, Mr. Potter. Never stop fighting."

"Thank you, professor."


	27. Fighting

Chapter 27: Fighting

Harry had not been having a good couple of weeks, not that any student ever enjoyed their OWL weeks, he reckoned. On one hand, things were progressing wonderfully through the whole school. Umbridge had been arrested and charged with student endangerment and abuse, set to serve ten years in Azkaban. His speech to the Gryffindor common room had spread too, and he had began to notice more house-to-house gatherings. He even saw Slytherins mixing in with the other houses sometimes. Sure, Malfoy and several of the nastier breeds refused to "belittle" themselves, but he and Daphne had set a precedent for their houses.

After all, if the Boy-Who-Lived and the Ice Queen of Slytherin could be together and love each other, why couldn't the rest of them get along? Neville and Tracey made their relationship public knowledge and it was quickly made clear that Tracey had been working with Neville as much as Daphne had been with him. He was still a little nervous and occasionally stuttered, but he stood up for himself, and didn't crack under Snape's taunts.

In fact, the potion master seemed to be one of the very few who was upset by the change in house status. Harry didn't fully understand why, but Snape seemed to _hate_ that Harry had convinced Slytherins and Gryffindors to stop fighting… even partially.

However, with the good had come the bad in the form of mountainous amount of work that was their OWLs. While Daphne had repeatedly assured him it wasn't necessary, he was determined to do well enough to earn his place beside her. He had no delusions about scoring as well as she would. That would be like trying to keep up with Hermione. However, he was determined to pass at least eight of his nine classes. He had no delusions about his horrendous divination record.

Still he'd needed to step up his game where History of Magic was concerned. How Binns had made goblin and giant wars boring was a little beyond him, but he was determined to at least score an acceptable given how he was going to enter the wizarding world upon his seventeenth birthday, and he didn't want to give anyone the excuse that he didn't know his own world's history.

So, he worked together with Hermione and Tracey to create a few miniatures that help him understand some of the battles that had taken place and why they were significant. No doubt he'd still miss some points on names and specifics in old wizarding laws, but there was little else for it given how little time they had.

All this considered, Harry's mind was pretty close to fried most days. At night, he ended up passing out into his books more often than his bed, and he was constantly stressed out. Still, in the chaotic nature of things, there was a slight relief in the knowledge that he was, for once in his life, normal. He was a teen stressing about his test scores and spending time with his girlfriend.

He wasn't focused on the horcruxes or the prophecy. He wasn't even worried about Dumbledore's actions. They'd quickly recovered and destroyed the locket, leaving the Hufflepuff cup, Ravenclaw's Diadem and whatever the last horcrux may be. Dumbledore had suggested it was likely something Voldemort keep close to his person, which lead Harry to suspect his pet snake, but he couldn't say for sure. For once, he was… normal. Or at least as normal as it was possible for him to be.

The one downside was that his occlumency practices were suffering a little. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in the summer, but he often had dreams that seemed as if they were from Voldemort's point of view. He'd told Dumbledore but the headmaster seemed remarkably unconcerned by it. This continued until after their final OWL exam, and Harry lay with Daphne by the lake while the sun had begun to set over the distant mountains.

Daphne was running her fingers through his hair as he smiled at her and let his stress and pains pass roll away like the waves on the shore of the lake. As he relaxed, he didn't even notice the scar on his forehead begin to burn, and he fell asleep with his head in Daphne's lap.

* * *

A couple hours later, Harry stormed into the Gryffindor tower and sprinted up the stairs to his dormitories, Ron and Hermione on his heels.

"Harry!" shouted Hermione. "I don't understand! How do you know Voldemort has Daphne's parents?"

"I saw him!" Harry growled tapping his scar. "In the department of mysteries, asking how to get the prophecy."

"I thought you said you'd been practicing occlumency," said Ron, confused.

"Been a bit busy though, haven't I? Besides, what's it matter how I know? I contacted Sirius and he said they've not been by the order for days! I'm not going to just let them be hurt or killed while I do nothing."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Hermione asked, tugging at his sleeve while he pulled his invisibility cloak.

"Assist the order, of course! We've been training like aurors all year Hermione. This is _exactly_ why I even agreed to the meetings in the first place!"

"Harry… you're a talented wizard… you are. But you're talking about fighting death eaters! Why don't you let the order handle this?"

"You sound like Dumbledore!" Harry snapped at her as they began descending the moving staircase. "I'm sure the order is going to get there, but they can't mobilize quickly. Some of them are at work, and they have to move covertly. We're quicker. I'm not sitting this out Hermione. Not when people I love are on the line."

"Well I hope you don't think you're going without us!" said Ron.

Harry looked back at him and thought quickly.

"We need to double up, two in a team and floo to the ministry. I'll be the stealthiest with the cloak, so we need to decide who will be with me."

"Then it's me, obviously," said Daphne, her voice shaking slightly.

"Daphne?"

"Don't you even begin to tell me I can't go after your speech about people you love, Harry. You're going because of _my_ parents. _You_ better than anyone should understand why I can't leave that in the hands of the order. Add the fact that you're going to go no matter what I say and I couldn't live with myself if I don't go."

"So what do we do?" asked Ron.

"I need you lot to get ahold of Neville and Tracey, and the four of you need to get ahold of everyone you can: teachers, ministry, anyone. If Voldemort is really in the ministry of magic I'm not going to let him get away scot-free again. Once you've alerted everyone you can head out and join us. Hopefully we won't have to actually fight, but if we can, best to have backup."

They nodded and Harry grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace, yelling out, "Ministry of Magic."

He and Daphne ran into the green flames and he felt the horrible feeling of traveling by floo, spinning through a thousand fireplaces before he was sent skidding across the marble floor of the atrium.

"This way!" he whispered, throwing the cloak over himself and Daphne.

He was grateful that it was just the two of them, and that they were both slender builds, because there was certainly no extra room under the cloak. It surprised him slightly that he could've ever been small enough to fit himself, Ron and Hermione under the cloak. Thanks to his two previous visits to the ministry, he knew the way to the elevators and soon they were headed down the underground stories of the ministry towards the department of mysteries.

What was bothering him was that there was no security or employees that he'd seen so far. Was the ministry truly just unguarded at night?

The elevator stopped and they heard a female voice say, "Level nine, department of mysteries."

They walked into the a round room and the second the door closed behind them the walls and doors spun so fast it made him slightly sick.

"Why did they just do that?" Daphne asked.

"Must be to throw off intruders. Super secret stuff they do down here, right?" he whispered.

"Still," Daphne whispered back, unintentionally tickling his ear. "The people who work here must have _some_ way of getting to the rooms they want to get to."

"You reckon we could just ask?"

"Worth a shot I guess," Daphne whispered before calling out slightly louder. "Hall of Prophecies."

The door to her left sprung open and they moved as quietly as they could they moved forward looking about curiously. They didn't see Voldemort, or hear anyone screaming.

"You think this might be a set-up?" he whispered as softly as he could.

"Looking that way," Daphne said looking around. "What do you want to do?"

"If we can't find your parents, let's try and head back up to the atrium, wait for the others."

She nodded and they continued their small crawl through the room. It was towards the back of it that Harry saw one of them. Cloaked in black and with a mask that hid the face, he had no doubts that this was a death eater. He tapped Daphne lightly and pointed the man out. She nodded and they began to double back, careful to hug the walls and keep the silencing charm on themselves.

They slowly moved back up and reached the door without incident. However, that was when bad luck struck, and Harry heard a shrill female voice pierce the air.

"There! They are hiding!"

Harry turned around and saw Bellatrix Lestrange pointing her wand right at them.

"RUN!" he shouted, moving between Bellatrix and Daphne. "Protego!"

He wasn't sure exactly what spell Bellatrix fired, but it rebounded off her shield and she dove out of the way.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, sending a stunner her way and making her take cover while Daphne got the door open.

"Oh ho!" he heard the dark-haired witch laugh. "He _does_ know how to play!"

Harry ran behind the door and together he and Daphne slammed it shut before the walls began to spin once more.

"EXIT!" Daphne shouted, and the door directly behind them flew open.

No sooner had the pair of them fled the room than Harry heard another of the doors bang open.

"There they go!" shouted the death eater Harry recognized as Lucius Malfoy. "Get them!"

Spells flew past them, and Harry dodged what he couldn't deflect. However, the door closed and he knew the death eaters were now subject to the spinning doors. It gave them enough time to flee up to the atrium and reach the fireplaces before their pursuers caught up with them.

"Avada kedavra!" he heard Bellatrix shout.

"No!" shouted Malfoy, apparently sending her spell wide as it slammed the wall a long way from them. "They are to be left alive until we have the prophecy!"

The fireplace Harry and Daphne were running towards flashed green and Harry looked up to see Sirius, McGonagall, Tonks, Cryus, Elaine and Lupin spilling out of the fireplace, quickly followed by Ron, Hermione, Neville and Tracey.

"Harry! Daphne!" said Sirius. "Are you both alright?!"

"We're fine!" Harry called out, ducking behind the fountain as another spell cracked over their heads. "Just sprung a trap."

"Come on then!" shouted Sirius signaling for them to get to the fireplace.

Harry helped Daphne to her feet while they sprinted to the fireplace as Sirius threw the floo powder into the grate.

"Gryffindor common room!" Harry shouted, helping Daphne into the green flames.

"Go now Harry!" shouted Sirius. "We're going to be…"

He stopped mid-sentence and stumbled forward, falling into Harry's arms.

"Sirius!"

He did not respond. Harry slowly lowered his godfather to the ground and saw that there was nothing remaining in his eyes. Looking up, he saw and heard only one thing.

Bellatrix leapt for joy shouting out, "I killed Sirius Black!"


	28. Burning Tears

Chapter 28: Burning Tears

Harry felt as if his entire world had come to a sudden standstill. Sirius' limp body lay in his arms, still smiling softly, as if even his death were funny. Like the walls of a great dam, Harry could feel the barrier of his occlumency training crack and crack before they finally shattered and all he knew was the rage, and pain and he had one target.

"Bombarda maxima!" he shouted, pointing his wand squarely at her left leg.

In her gloating she didn't see him, and his spell hit her hard. He heard more than saw her leg break and she collapsed to the ground, howling.

"Harry!" shouted Lupin, but Harry ignored him, sprinting forward.

The remaining death eaters began to sling spells and curses at him but Harry had a lifetime of experience dodging blows to fall back on, and thanks to the tournament last year, and their training this year, he was faster than ever. He looked up and snarled at Malfoy, who had moved to cover Bellatrix.

The blonde death-eater had his wand held in a defensive stance and Harry pointed his wand squarely at the man. Malfoy was experienced, but a life of government and politics had made him lax and lazy. Harry caught him with a redactor curse in the chest, and once again he heard bones crack as the Malfoy head fell onto his back, screaming.

Harry saw another two look to him and he quickly stunned one, screaming at the other, "Move or die!"

He saw terror flash through the death eater's eyes, but at that moment there was a flash of green lights and another figure came walking out of the fireplace. Harry couldn't have mistaken the tall, snake-like figure for anyone else if he'd wanted to. It was Lord Voldemort.

"An interesting proposition, Harry," said the smooth, slinking voice. "I wonder if you could truly do it. Could you really kill them? I thought you were the white knight between us?"

Harry slung a curse at him, but the dark wizard swatted it away as if it were a fly.

"SHUT UP!" Harry shouted and sprinted for Voldemort.

For a moment, it seemed the wizard was too stunned to react. A moment later, Harry realized the reality of the situation when he heard Bellatrix's voice ring out.

"Crucio!"

Pain beyond Harry's knowledge flew through him, and he screamed from it, falling to his knees. The pain didn't let up, rather it grew worse and Bellatrix held him under the spell, and each second she held the curse felt like an hour he lay there, screaming from a pain beyond anything he could've known existed. It made his entire childhood seem little more than a slap on the wrist.

He fell, face-first into the marble floor, and curled up there, screaming from it. How long he was stuck that way, he wasn't sure. Time stopped existing, and his vision died out until all there was, was white.

Then, there was a moment where it didn't hurt… no. Rather time had stopped and he was in-between moments of the pain.

 _Just let go._

It wasn't that he _heard_ the voice so much as he _felt_ it.

 _Just let it all go. The pain won't stop… Just let go._

"No," he said, although he was sure he couldn't actually move.

 _Just give into it, Harry._

"No!" he said, more firmly.

 _No one should live in pain like this._

"NO!"

And the moment, or non-moment as it might be, broke. In a horrible, crashing wave the pain returned and he screamed out again. Once again he writhed on the floor, and he had no understanding of the passage of time. Eventually, he could taste cooper coming from his throat, and knew he was screaming up blood, not that he could stop himself.

There were more moments of nonexistence. More moments where the voice begged him to give up, and just let go of himself, so that the pain would stop. Each time he refused, and each time the pain would come back. How long he was under the curse and how long it cycled, he wasn't sure. It could've been centuries from the feeling of it.

 _Just give in, Harry._

"I won't!"

 _It's not so bad, being mad. In fact, nothing bothers you at all, anymore._

"NO!"

The moment broke again, and he expected the pain to return, but it didn't. To his shock, he opened his eyes and turned slowly. His entire body hurt so bad that he wasn't even aware of where the pain was actually coming from. He could taste blood in his mouth and his face was streaked with tears. Confused, he looked around and saw that Dumbledore had arrived and was dueling with Voldemort.

However, the headmaster's attention was clearly completely focused on the fight, so whoever had pulled Harry out of the pain, it wasn't him. Harry turned and saw that it was Neville of all people, who had leapt onto Bellatrix. He'd wrestled her wand from her and engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with her, kicking and clawing at whatever he could.

"NO!" Neville shouted, landing a solid soccer-kick to Bellatrix face. "Not again. Never again."

"NEVILLE, MOVE!" Harry shouted.

He knew what to do, but his limbs were still shaking horribly and didn't want to risk hurting the Gryffindor boy. Neville glanced over at Harry and nodded, diving out of the way and Harry began to unleash a slew of curses and hexes, half of which he couldn't remember afterwards.

He kept going, and going, ignoring everything around him. He paid no attention to the battle or even Voldemort. He only knew one thing. She'd killed Sirius and he wanted to kill her more than he'd ever wanted to hurt anyone. Wand-less, and without any way to defend herself, the witch lay at his feet, broken and bloody. Harry looked down at her, and against his will, laughed slightly.

"Guess what I'm doing?" he said, soft enough that only she could hear him. "I'm killing Bellatrix Lestrange."

He put one foot on her throat and slowly began to press, and press and press. She sputtered and pushed with what strength she had left, but it did nothing.

"Harry, no!" shouted Neville. "You can't kill her!"

Harry turned, his anger briefly flaring up again before he managed to calm himself.

"Neville, this… vile, disgusting woman is the reason your parents are in St. Mangos. She had hurt and terrorized so many people… she killed Sirius! You can't tell me she deserves to live. She deserves every horrible possible thing that could be done to a person."

"It's not about that!" said Neville. "I agree with you. She deserves everything that can be done to her, but I'm not stopping you for her. I'm doing it for us, your friends. I'm stopping you for Daphne. She wouldn't want you to become a murderer… not for someone like her. It's not about what that death-eater deserves. It's about what you and Daphne deserve."

Harry looked down and saw that Neville had drawn his wand and was pointing it squarely at him. He was forcibly reminded of his own speech to Sirius, and of the moment when Neville had stood up to them in first year before they'd gone to get the sorcerer's stone. Then, he looked down at Bellatrix, who lay gasping and broken.

"Please," said Neville, tears in his eyes. "Don't make me do it."

Harry sighed and tears began to leak from his eyes anew.

"You're right… I _hate_ it. But you're right. So, she deserve the kiss then?"

"If anyone does, she does."

"Be grateful," said Harry to Bellatrix now. "Because of him, I intended to have the dementors give you a little kiss when we can get you back to Azkaban, instead of killing you here. Believe me, I'm still considering doing it myself. So, if you cross us, or attempt to escape, I'll sever your head from your body."

He glanced around at the battle between the order and the death eaters and saw that Voldemort's supports were in a full retreat. However, the dark lord locked eyes with Harry and he felt his scar burn red-hot.

"Neville!" Harry shouted. "Get her and the others back to Hogwarts."

"But you…"

"NOW!"

Neville sprinted, carrying the stunned Bellatrix on his back while Harry quickly went through his occlumency rituals. Despite the heavy battle that was going on between the snake-like wizard and Dumbledore, Voldemort's attacks were very organized and Harry quickly felt himself starting to slip.

He hadn't quite lost the battle yet, but he would soon unless he did something. He growled and quickly came up with the only thing he could think of.

"Let's hope you were right, headmaster," Harry mumbled, and channeled every single fiber of his thoughts towards Daphne and Sirius, completely dropping his shields.

He remembered hugging Sirius, laughing with the Head of the Black House. He remembered Sirius rescuing both him and Daphne from the dementors and how Sirius had helped him in the tournament. He remembered begging for Sirius' help with Daphne to try and impress the blonde witch… He remembered how Sirius had met her outside of Hogsmeade and he could clearly see the two of them… the two people he loved more than anything in the world.

He saw himself and Daphne cuddling by the Black Lake, kissing at the Yule Ball and focused a long time on her insistence that they could overcome Voldemort. He thought of her defending him from the Dursleys and her pride in him as he'd advanced and grown through their lessons together.

He focused on the beauty and love that always leapt up when he thought of her. He remembered her beautiful blue eyes, moonlight-touched hair and her soft lips. He smiled softly as he recalled their time spent in one-another's arms in Grimmauld Place, or in the Hogwarts classrooms.

He thought of the thing he'd wanted since he'd first looked into the Mirror of Esired. He thought of a family… his family. He thought of children with his messy hair and Daphne's eyes. He saw family dinners and Christmas mornings spent together. It was beautiful and he could feel himself crying again, picturing this future, which held his deepest and most desperate desire.

And then he heard it, the screaming. Voldemort was screaming in pain, shouting strange curses and fleeing from Dumbledore, who clearly had the upper hand in the battle at this point.

"What is this?!" screamed Voldemort, clutching at his chest. "What have you done?!"

"He's learned the lesson you refused to understand, Tom," said Dumbledore, holding out his long wand and staring down the dark wizard.

The dark lord snarl and spun on the spot disappearing through one of the several fireplaces, and Harry saw that the order had been joined by teams of aurors, and even Fudge had appeared, flanked by a few of his personal assistants.

"Unbelievable…" he said softly. "Dumbledore… How? How is he… what just happened here?"

Harry groaned and fell back on his hands, letting the exhaustion and sorrow of the past few hours crash on him. He let go of all of his fight and felt someone's arms pick him up off the floor. Too tired to protest, Harry merely groaned.

"Come on Harry," he heard Lupin say, his voice shaking. "Let's get you out of here."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, still crying softly. "I'm so sorry."

He felt them fly through the floo system before Lupin set him in a chair.

"Look at me Harry."

Harry struggled to do so, but managed to look up, realizing there was blood in his eyes.

"Sirius… his death wasn't your fault! It is _not your fault._ He went there because he loved you, and because we are fighting a dark fight. The only person responsible for his death was Bellatrix, and you caught her. You even rose above her… you didn't fall and kill her."

"I wanted to… I _would've._ "

"Yeah, expect you had someone close to you put things in order for you, huh? Almost like someone who loves you can help you see what you can't see. I know you Harry… not as well as I ought to, and not as well as I'd like to. Still, you carry heavy burdens and take on more than your share, because it's the way you were taught to act. But you don't need to shoulder this whole thing alone. You have friends, people who love you, and people who would rather… People who would do anything to make sure you don't get hurt."

"I don't want people to get hurt because of me…"

"That's not your choice to make," said Lupin, smiling softly through his own tears. "Did you make Sirius' choice, or any of his choices ever? No. No one but Sirius could ever make his choices, for better or worse. You can make your choices, Harry. You do it with a heavy heart and more bravery and goodness than the world deserves. But what you can't do, is make our choices for us. Daphne chewed me out pretty good one day in relation to Dumbledore's behavior with you."

"Yeah," said Harry softly. "She's… intense."

"And she's right to be. Dumbledore doesn't want you to turn into Voldemort… none of us do. It's why I'm glad you _didn't_ kill Bellatrix. I'm glad you _haven't_ crossed that line, because you deserve better than the life of a killer. You deserve many things you will never get, Harry, but you certainly deserve to live without turning into something like Voldemort. However, I wouldn't see you become Dumbledore, either. He's a great and powerful wizard, but he's a mistaken man. He's made choices for many people before, desperate to not let others get hurt… don't make that mistake."

Lupin stood and brushed himself off, and Harry reached out, grasping his hand.

"Thank you…"

"I love you Harry, and I will be there for you as much as I am able to be. For my part, you're my friend, and already a far greater man than your father, or Sirius or I ever dared hope you would be."


	29. The Start of the End

Chapter 29: The Start of the End

Harry appeared in the Gryffindor common room a few minutes later. His eyes were still red from the tears, but his face was dry, and he bore a stoic expression.

"Harry!" called out Daphne throwing her arms around him, not caring who was around. "I was so worried! What happened? Why didn't you follow me through?"

Harry opened his mouth, and nothing came out. He struggled and swallowed before trying again, but still he wasn't able to speak. After a moment or two, Neville led him to the couch, and sat Daphne down next to him, kneeling before the blonde girl.

"Sirius is dead," Neville said softly. "He was killed by Bellatrix just after you got in the floo. Harry and I managed to catch her, and we got some Ministry officials to approve the dementor's kiss, but it was already too late to do anything for him."

"Harry…"

He looked up at her and saw there were tears in her eyes too. He couldn't hold back then and wept as she clung to him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I know he loved you as much you love him Harry."

Harry still couldn't bring himself to speak and merely held her as if she were the single thread that kept him from toppling off the edge of the world into darkness. Eventually everyone else started to come by: McGonagall, Dumbledore, Fudge, Ron and Hermione. He spoke as little as possible, happy to let the others fill in the gaps, as they were able to.

Harry merely held Daphne, and all the gratitude and fear he'd felt upon hearing the prophecy. What would he do if it were Daphne next time?

They stayed there for a while, and eventually their professors, friends, and the minister left them to take care of several things, none of which Harry paid attention to. No one asked Daphne or him to move, and he doubted he could've even if they had. So, there the young couple remained, and Daphne just clutched onto his shirt.

"I didn't kill Bellatrix…" he eventually whispered, more to himself than Daphne. "I would've though… I wanted to."

"Harry," Daphne said softly. "It's normal to want revenge. I'd be more worried if you didn't want to get her back for what she did. I can't say I'm upset that Neville stopped you though. I don't think Sirius would want you to become obsessed with revenge. You've told me what he was like when he was hunting Peter Pettigrew. You said it was only because Lupin mentioned that he owed you the truth that he held back at all, right?"

"Yeah… but it's not really the same."

"How so?" she asked, still not moving her head off his chest.

"Sirius didn't have to kill anyone… Never did kill anyone, in the end. I… I may not have to kill Bellatrix, but I do have to kill Voldemort. In the end, it has to be one of us, remember?"

Daphne stiffened for a second and he could hear her softly crying into his shirt.

"I know. I know. I just… Killing isn't like anything else in the world, Harry. You have to kill Voldemort, and I won't argue against that, or even try to defend him. I've accepted that we'll have to do that. But I don't think it's possible to kill over and over and not change. I mean, you hear horror stories about people—wizard and muggle—who have to kill someone in a fight or even in war, and their haunted by it for the rest of their lives. But to kill one-on-one like that, over and over… Just look at Voldemort."

"What about him?"

"Do you think he was always so… inhuman? I mean, you met the memory of him as a teenager, right? Was he like he is now?"

Harry thought back to his second year, in the chamber with the basilisk.

"Yes… well, no. He was definitely more human then. He was still power-hungry and talked about greatness a lot."

"Sort of sounds like Draco…"

Harry sorted, and immediately felt guilty for it.

"Sadly, there's some truth to that."

"Do you think Draco could end up being another Voldemort?"

Harry thought about it, trying hard to put it in perspective. Sure, Malfoy was a pounce, no mistake. But was he really evil? Harry tried to conjure up the deeds Malfoy had done.

1\. Tricking Ron and he into a fake duel with the intent to get them in trouble with Filch.

2\. Calling Hermione a Mudblood

3\. Laughing at the misfortune of those petrified in their second year.

4\. Attempting to get Buckbeak, and by extension Hagrid, in trouble.

Sure, they were pretty scummy, but really his actions didn't hold a candle to things like murder and torture. Still, his father _was_ a death eater and Malfoy had always spoken in favor of Voldemort and his supporters.

"I… don't _think_ so," said Harry slowly. "I could see him becoming his father… maybe. But I have a hard time seeing him actually causing a war or trying to commit genocide."

"That's what a lot of people probably would've said about Tom Riddle when he was at Hogwarts, if even that much. A lot of his teachers speak very highly of him. He was head boy during his time. He supposedly caught the person responsible for the murder of a fellow student. Sure, he was manipulative, but I doubt people who knew him then would think he was going to be the way he is now."

"So what? You're saying that murder made Tom Riddle into Voldemort?"

Daphne grimaced.

"I'm sure all the extra dark magic and tearing of his soul didn't do him any favors either. Still, I stand by what I said, murder changes people. I know you have to kill Voldemort, and I'm going to be by your side every step of the way while you do. I'm just hoping we avoid killing who we don't have to."

He sat upright, forcing her to do the same and stared into her beautiful blue eyes, and saw the tears that sprouted from them. Beyond that though, he saw her determination and refusal to back down. He saw the Slytherin in her.

"I don't agree with Dumbledore interfering in your life, Harry. But, I can agree with him on one thing. I don't want to see you become Voldemort either. You're too good to let all this get to you and I'm just hoping that after all this is over, you're still… you. War changes people. It changed my grandparents, but they still got married and lived very happy lives together… that's really just what I want for us… after we kill Voldemort."

Harry felt himself go slightly red and was glad there wasn't anyone else in the common room with them. Daphne and he hadn't really approached the subject of… them, in the long-term for while and a small part of him was always worried about it. He knew it wasn't logical to worry about it, because nothing Daphne said indicated that they would separate after Voldemort was dead, but he couldn't help being anxious.

"Is that really what you want for us?" he asked softly, almost under his breath.

"More than anything in the world."

Harry hugged her a little tighter and his vision went blurry from the tears building up in his eyes once more. He wanted to tell her how much that meant to him. He wanted to say how incredible it was that she could even think about that, and how he thought she was the most amazing woman in the world. Instead, he said the only thing he could.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Harry Potter."

Harry wrapped an arm around Daphne's shoulders, running his hand up and down her arm while she tucked her head under his chin. They both sat there in front of the crackling fire and Harry did a mental check.

 _Something of Ravenclaw's—Probably at Hogwarts_

 _Hufflepuff's Cup—Lestrange Vault_

 _The Snake—On his person_

Three more to take out, and they had a good idea of where to start looking. Unfortunately they had a whole summer before he could do anything about the one at Hogwarts, even if he did know where to start looking. Still, he would have to see what would be done with Bellatrix's belongings, now that she was to be given the dementor's kiss. Logically her possessions would go to her closest relatives.

He felt pretty sure she had no children, so it would logically go to Narcissa Malfoy, or to Andromeda Tonks. If it went to Andromeda, Harry felt they would have little issue taking care of the cup, because she had been cast out of her family just to marry a muggle, and she was Tonks' mother.

Granted, Harry had never actually met the woman, but he felt pretty sure she wouldn't reject him if he persuaded her to help them get rid of Voldemort. If it went to Narcissa though, it was no better off than being with Bellatrix. The blonde woman was loyal to her husband, and Harry doubted that the family would be so careless as to get rid of _another_ horcrux.

He would have to double-check the family tree at Number 12, but he felt pretty sure Andromeda was the older sister between her and Narcissa. Unless Bellatrix had made a will out stating otherwise, it was likely Andromeda would inherit, and he doubted she would've made one out while in Azkaban. Even if she had, he figured a good lawyer might be able to get her will overturned on the grounds of either mental insanity or through her being a death eater.

That thought made him smile, even though it was a soft, sad smile. He should ask Tonks to get in contact with her mother this summer.

"What is it?" Daphne asked gently.

"I think I know how to take out another horcrux," said Harry softly.

He felt her smile too.

"That's my man," she said, kissing his collarbone.

After a while, she began humming a tune that he couldn't place, and she suddenly laughed at something, almost out of the blue. This concerned him so much that he released her and looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently.

"Yes, I'm sorry," she said. "I just thought of something that made me really, really pleased. It's sort of nonsensical."

"Nonsense actually sounds really welcome right now. If I have anymore serious discussion, I'll snap."

He winced as he said "serious," unable to stop the sound of his Godfather's voice from ringing in his mind.

 _You should always have Sirius discussions, Harry._

"Have you ever considered what certain names would sound like if people got married?"

"I beg your pardon?" Harry said, completely taken aback.

"Ok, so say Hermione and Ron got married," she said as Harry sorted involuntarily. "Hermione's name would become Hermione Weasley, right?"

"Right, although I really don't see them being a married couple."

"Neither do I," said Daphne. "But the names are a good example. Now, Hermione Weasley is just… weird. It hits the ear wrong, you know?"

"I suppose. What does this have to do with what you were laughing about?"

"Everything. Hermione Weasley doesn't really work, but other names sound just right."

"Such as?"

"Daphne Potter."

Harry froze for a split-second and laughed softly too.

"You know what? I love that you thought of that."

"A woman must consider these things," she said. "I mean if your last name was something like say, Finnegan, there's just no way I could marry into that."

"Glad to know he's not competition then," he said, laughing a little more. "Oh, I needed that. Daphne, thank you for that, really."

"Of course," she said, placing her head on his shoulder and kissing his neck. "I'm always going to be here for you Harry, just like you're going to be there for me. We'll live well into our hundreds and have a family together."

"You know what? I actually am starting to believe you."

"About damn time."

And for the night, Harry didn't feel quite as lost. He had lost someone close to him and it hurt, but he wasn't alone…


	30. The Will

Chapter 30: The Will

Harry stretched, and fidgeted with his collar subconsciously, tugging at the fabric of his new robes. Daphne smiled and reached up, fixing his clothes so he was presentable.

"You're going to be fine," said Daphne. "Sirius wouldn't have set you up for anything you couldn't handle, right?"

Harry smiled softly.

"Right."

It had been a month since Sirius had passed away, and they were finally getting to his last will and testament. It wouldn't have taken so long except that the ministry was in a complete state of disarray after the announcement of Voldemort's return. Fudge had been sacked, although that had surprised very few. He'd been replaced by Rufus Scrim, a lion of man that was helping the public feel safe through his election as a minister who could handle a war.

It made Harry sick, because the reality of it was that the public had traded one false safety for another. They just went from deny Voldemort's existence to pretending he wasn't a threat. Still, it wasn't as bad as it might be. He noticed several self-defense classes and courses popping up. Shops in Diagon Alley were featuring better options for concealment, and then there was Weasley's Wizarding Weezes.

The shop was incredible and Harry found that there was something he liked even better than acknowledging the threat of Voldemort, which was causing the public laughing at him. Fred and George had outdone themselves with a mixture of pranks and actually useful items in a duel or stealthy situation.

Items like the extendable ears were, of course, very popular. But they also had Peruvian darkness powder, for quick getaways, trap invisible walls, remote noisemakers that could be prepared to make over two thousands different sounds, and many other creations besides. Their best action though was the short wizard films they'd created that constantly played on the inside of the shop.

It displayed Fred or George demonstrating one of their products to befuddle and defeat an absurdly goofy actor dressed as Voldemort, and reminded Harry of the goofy black and white films muggles had developed in the 1930's. Still, he was glad they were helping the world laugh while acknowledging the return of the dark wizard.

"Are you ready, Mr. Potter? Miss Greengrass?"

Harry nodded to the official-looking wizard as he and Daphne entered the reading room, and took their seats. Daphne quietly took his hand in her own, rubbing her thumb over his palm while she carefully looked around the room.

Aside from himself and Daphne, Harry saw that Tonks and her mother, Andromeda had come. Looking at her still sent a jolt of electricity through Harry. Andromeda, much to her own displeasure, looked rather a lot like Bellatrix, although without the wear and bouts of insanity that Azkaban had placed on the death eater.

Harry quickly found why Sirius had called her his favorite cousin. She was actually rather caring, not unlike Sirius himself had been. She and Harry had talked at length during the start of his summer, and he was pleased to see he had been quite correct about her inheritance. She'd also agreed to let him and Dumbledore dispatch of the horcrux among her new belongings before she'd donated the remainder of Bellatrix's gold to a few different charities, stating she wanted nothing to do with her sister's earnings.

That had been more than enough to put her in Harry's good graces. They'd started to meet for lunch or tea a few times a week and Andromeda absolutely doted on Daphne, saying that she was so glad Harry had found himself a good woman. Harry couldn't have agreed more heartily, and the Tonks woman was always happy to share stories of Sirius and James, which Harry listened to reverently.

He knew that his father hadn't been… perfect. He understood long ago that no person was quite as good as people thought they were. Still, from everything he was told, he felt that his father had been a decent man, although he did appear to have something of a vain streak, especially when he was trying to show off for his mother.

The memory made Harry smile as he continued looking around the room.

There was Dumbledore and Snape, although the latter made Harry growl slightly, thinking of the moment when Snape had threatened to kill his godfather back in the Shrieking Shack. There was also Lupin, who seemed as tired and shabby as ever. His face was covered in thick stubble and his robes were even more frayed than Harry remembered. Still he smiled softly and nodded at Harry, who nodded back at the man.

To his distaste, he saw that Malfoy and his parents had come as well. His initial reaction was to prepare a couple dozen curses, until he caught a stronger glimpse of Draco's face. The youngest Malfoy had always been exceptionally pale, but he appeared almost pure white, and much thinner than he had been at the end of term.

Harry nudged Daphne softly and whispered his observation to her.

"You're right," she said softly. "He seems like he's been really ill."

"Maybe it's fatal," Harry whispered, bitterly.

Daphne sighed softly, shaking her head as the ministry wizard got up to the podium, unrolling and reading from a long scroll:

 _I, Sirius Orion Black, being of sound mind and body to hereby declare this to be my final will and testament._

Harry quickly lost the legal speak of the document, but he was also not so concerned with it. Daphne had mentioned that both her father and Sirius had spent a while on his will, making it pretty airtight, so that people like the Malfoys wouldn't try and take anything they hadn't earned.

 _My possessions and any monies are to be left as follows:_

 _To Remus Lupin, I leave 1,000 galleons and the Black Summer Home located in the Isle of Man. You're my closest friend, Moony, and I hope one day you allow yourself to find happiness. If anyone of us deserves it, it's you._

 _To my nephew, Draco Malfoy, I leave a single letter, to be read by him and him only._

 _To Andromeda Tonks, I leave the documents required to reinstate her and her family into the Black Family Tree, and 5,000 galleons, to do with as she sees fit. You were always the only Black I was fond of, Andromeda, and I'm glad your daughter has as good a head on her shoulders as you do._

Harry looked over and saw Andromeda and Tonks both crying softly, and felt the urge to go console them, but he resisted the urge.

 _To Miss Daphne Greengrass, I leave a single letter and the contents of safety deposit box U-1103 at Gringotts Bank. The contents are both yours to do with as you see fit, although you aren't permitted to let Harry know what they are until the terms of my letter to you are met._

Daphne smiled softly, and winked at Harry, which made him raise an eyebrow at her. He knew this was a form of a prank for Sirius, because he surely knew that it would drive him nuts to be forbidden to know what Daphne was left. He was sure that Sirius had found the idea terribly amusing when he'd decreed it.

 _And finally to my godson, Harry, I leave everything else, and declare him to be the Head of the House of Black from this day forward._

"What?!" hissed Malfoy, only to be quickly hit over the back of his head by his mother.

Harry bit his tongue, almost as surprised as the blonde boy was. He knew Sirius always tried to do his best where Harry was concerned, but he'd never imagined he would leave the Black Family to him. Although, thinking on it now, he had to admit Sirius would've found it both fitting and very funny to do so.

 _I miss you, Sirius,_ he thought, smiling softly.

At Daphne's urging, and despite Dumbledore's protests, Harry had eventually gotten some therapy to help him come to terms with the death around him: Sirius, Cedric and his parents. He hadn't told the muggle woman the specifics, of course, but he told her the basic information of what he'd been through.

He'd seen shock pass across her face, though she'd quickly hid it and given him a mixture of mental and physical responsibilities that he was to see to in order to help himself. For the first time in his life, he'd put himself first. Granted Daphne had been more than a little help. While he slept in the Dursley's house, he was gone from sunrise until late at night.

He'd began a basic exercise routine, mostly running and endurance exercises. He'd also been working on opening his mind to Daphne through some mental magic's. They'd spent several long minutes feeling everything the other felt and hearing each other's thoughts as if they were their own.

It had been one of the most vulnerable experiences of his life, and yet because Daphne had been there, he hadn't been scared. It was something he didn't have the words for, except that he knew she wasn't leaving. She didn't think of them as dating for now, she was thinking of their future. She was thinking of marriage, and a family.

She was thinking forward to the only thing he'd ever wanted for his entire life, and now that he thought about it, she was one of the only woman who ever could've helped him allow himself the hope of that future. He'd caught himself thinking more often of what would happen when the war was over, not if. He thought about what he would do after Voldemort was defeated.

He saw their children.

Daphne had said she was sure she wanted at least two, but Harry always imagined three, although he wasn't sure exactly why. He could see his eldest son, who had his messy black hair and Daphne's blue eyes. He could see their daughter who could've been her mother at that age. He saw their youngest boy sporting dirty blonde hair and Harry's eyes.

 _My family_

He wanted that more than he'd ever wanted anything and Daphne had been right. He wouldn't let Voldemort threaten that… No, _they_ wouldn't let Voldemort threaten that.

After the reading the ministry wizard passed out the notes that Sirius had mentioned, until he reached Harry. He reached into a large trunk and handed Harry a binder that was at least three inches thick.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"A series of letters from Mr. Black," said the wizard, curtly.

Harry looked down and, unable to hide his curiosity, opened the binder to the first page. He recognized Sirius' handwriting at once.

 _June 18th, 1994_

 _Harry,_

 _I would say that I hope you never have to read this, but I'm not so naïve as all that. I am no great writer, and was never good at saying the right words to another man, but I decided I should chronicle my thoughts to you in a series of entries._

 _I am writing this letter just after Buckbeak and I have found a safe place. I admit, everything feels very surreal to me right now. I'm half convinced I'm still in Azkaban, slowly losing my last marble. However, provided that I haven't completely cracked, I admit that I couldn't be more proud of the young man you've grown up into._

 _After Peter betrayed your parents, and I got myself locked up, one of my worst thoughts, and the one the dementors seemed to relish in the most, was my failure with you. I'm your godfather, and instead of doing what I should've done and taking care of you, I let Hagrid take you while I tried to go out for vengeance. Fat lot of good it did too._

 _I can't pretend I know your aunt and uncle, but for what James always said, they were some of most self-righteous, magic-hating people alive. I hope they haven't let that get at you, although I feel that I probably know the answer to that already._

 _Still, that aside you've grown into a compassionate man and a damn powerful wizard. Your dad would've been furiously proud of your Patronus Harry, and not just for the form it took. I don't know any other wizard that could do what you did that night, expect perhaps Dumbledore himself. More than that though, I know your mum would've been proud of you for not letting anger rule you._

 _She was one of the kindest people I ever knew, and a better woman than the world deserved. Dead-talented, of course, but she never let it make her conceited or arrogant. I admit, I'm glad you take after her in that realm, rather than your father or myself. We always were too full of ourselves… as I guess you know. Well, I'll stop now because I want to keep moving, but I'll write you again when I've got a better time._

 _Sirius._

Harry touched the words gently, as if handling a precious artifact, and saw his vision go murky as tears hit the inside of his glasses.

"I'm sorry Sirius," he whispered as Daphne placed her arm gently around him, and they got up to leave.


	31. The First Memory

Chapter 31: The First Memory

Harry stood, fidgeting slightly at the entrance of Dumbledore's office. The headmaster had promised to help Harry understand what he would be fighting against in addition to helping him search for the remaining horcruxes. However, after a month into the new school year, they were coming up empty on that front.

Not that Harry hadn't tried his hardest to search every nook of the school. He'd explored the dungeons, and even traveled back into the Chamber of Secrets. He'd read through Hogwarts: a History several times, with Hermione's notes and marks for further books that covered something that was mentioned. The book mentioned a dozen odd places that might be a good hiding place for something you wanted to keep hidden, but none of them had contained anything that had seemed to be a horcrux.

So instead, Dumbledore had decided to move ahead on his other goal. Admittedly, Harry was nervous and a bit excited. Dumbledore had mentioned that he wanted Harry to understand Voldemort a bit better, and through this understanding, Harry might accept why the headmaster was so afraid of seeing Harry repeat Voldemort's mistakes.

"Caramel Cobwebs," Harry said to the gargoyle that guarded the spiral staircase that lead to the headmaster's office.

As Harry walked into the office, he noticed a dozen or so of the strange silver instruments that Dumbledore kept on his desk were whirling around or making strange sounds that he couldn't make sense of. However, Dumbledore seemed to be unaware of them, and instead stood by the pensive from which Harry had seen the memory of the prophecy.

"Harry," said Dumbledore solemnly, as if he only half-noticed him. "I'm glad you could come. We shall be spending our time together this year going over memories I've been collecting of Voldemort before he was… well, Voldemort. However, this first one was by far the easiest, as it is one of my own."

"Memories?" asked Harry, slightly surprised. "You mean from when he was a student?"

"Many from then, yes. There are a few from before that time and after, but mostly during his time as a student, yes."

Dumbledore was uncorking a vial and dumped it into the pensive as Harry walked closer. Then, almost without warning, Dumbledore took Harry's hand touched the silvery surface of the memory, and the world around them vanished.

For a moment, Harry thought they'd merely moved rooms. They were still in the castle, and he recognized the transfiguration classroom. However, as he turned his gaze to the teacher's desk it was not the stern Professor McGonagall who sat behind it, but a younger version of Dumbledore. His hair and beard were both auburn, and rather shorter than Harry knew them to be in his time.

After a moment, the door to the classroom opened and Harry turned around to see a young boy in Slytherin robes timidly glance into the room, as if asking permission to enter. Harry was forcibly reminding of his own behavior a couple years ago, before Daphne had helped him come out of his shell a little.

"Come in Tom," said the Dumbledore behind the desk, looking up from his papers.

"Tom?" Harry asked, turning to the headmaster. " _That's_ Tom Riddle?"

"Yes, Harry," said Dumbledore, a note of pain in his voice. "That is Tom riddle as I remember him… Before… well, before everything."

Harry looked closer at the Slytherin boy. He had very pale hair, practically white, and his skin was almost as light, although Harry recognized it as being from a lack of sunlight, more than his natural complexion. His eyes were a dull grey, but wide and intelligent, taking in everything around him without actually saying a word.

Carefully, as if the room might contain landmines, the child walked up to the desk.

"What can I help you with, dear boy?" asked the younger Dumbledore.

"Well sir," said the young child, and Harry could never imagine that such a small and timid voice would become the hissing tone of Lord Voldemort. "Exams are over now… and I was wondering…"

He trailed off, and Dumbledore looked curiously at him, though Tom didn't meet his eyes.

"I'm sure you've preformed quite well, Tom. Your transfiguration score was an Exceeds Expectations, just a few points of Outstanding, if I recall."

"Oh, yes sir," said the boy. "But it wasn't exams I wanted to ask you about."

"Alright," said the transfiguration professor with a kindness Harry had come to know in his own years in the castle. "Why don't you sit down and take things easy, Tom?"

"Thank you professor," said the young Riddle as he sat at one of the desks. "I wanted to talk to you about my summer, actually."

"Well Tom," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard. "You are, of course, forbidden to practice magic during the summer, but I think you'll find your assigned work enough to keep you a bit busy."

"Of course sir. No I wanted to ask… Do I really have to go back to my father?"

Harry saw something that might've been a tear in the boy's eyes, but then he quickly looked at the desk, hiding his face.

The auburn-haired professor looked down at the boy, and Harry could see the pain and pity in Dumbledore's face.

"My boy," said Dumbledore. "I know your father does not think… favorably of your talents, but sure you wish to see him again?"

"No," said Tom solidly. "Sir, you know what he… what he's like."

At that Tom anxiously tugged at the sleeves of his robes, pulling them down. Harry got a flash of his own punishments from his aunt and uncle. He knew those motions better than most.

"Well Tom," said Dumbledore, clearly struggling. "Surely Headmaster Dippet has discussed the issue with you."

"Well, yes sir," said the Slytherin boy, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve, still looking at the desk. "But sir, I was hoping that maybe you could talk to him sir. I'd really like to stay here sir, or anywhere else. Anywhere else where I'm not a monster!"

 _Anywhere else._

How often had Harry had the same wish about the Dursley's? He couldn't have counted the wishes if he'd tried.

 _Anywhere else. Anywhere where I'm not a monster._

 _Freak!_

Harry growled in spite of himself, and then brought himself back to the memory, and saw the younger Dumbledore move to sit next to Tom Riddle, and place an arm over the boy.

"You are _not_ a monster, Tom. You are a perfectly normal twelve-year-old wizard, and a world of opportunity is before you. I shall speak to Headmaster Dippet. I am sure we can arrange something for you."

"T-thank you, professor," said the young boy, and Harry could clearly see the tears that fell from his face.

Then the memory faded, and they were back in the headmaster's office. Harry immediately sat in one of the puffy armchairs, putting his head to his scar, which burned slightly.

"That… _That_ was Voldemort?!" he said when he could finally speak.

"No," said Dumbledore, popping two lemon drops into his mouth. "That was Tom Riddle. A first-year Slytherin who had a horrible home life, not unlike your own, Harry. He was a boy used to be subjected to horrible punishments to try and remove the magic from him. Something I think you might understand."

Harry growled, remembering endless nights locked in his cupboard, bars on his window and being burned on a stove for his displays of magic.

"So what happened?"

"Eventually I got the headmaster to reconsider, and Tom stayed at Hogwarts during the summers, helping keep the castle in order and helping teachers organize lessons. He had so much exposure to advanced magic that he was soon leagues ahead of his classmates, at least in practical applications. Again, something I believe you understand some of."

"I wouldn't say I was leagues ahead of my classmates, sir."

"And eventually," said Dumbledore, as though he'd not responded. "He began teaching some of his closest friends how to use what he'd learned, in case they should need it. Granted there was not quite such a threat on the students then as there is now, but there were still the occasional attacks. So, Tom decided they should be able to fight back. Sound familiar?"

This time Harry couldn't respond. It was honestly very like the DA.

"I… as well as many other teachers, were blinded by him. Tom was such a talented boy, and while he wasn't exactly a model for the rules, he was a boy who was endearing. He seemed to ultimately be doing more good. Like shutting down the chamber of secrets, for instance."

"But he didn't…"

"Of course," said Dumbledore. "Now it seems obvious, but you must understand that you have the gift of hindsight, Harry. At the time, no one had any reason to suspect Tom. He'd expressed such a love and admiration for the castle that the idea that he could do anything to another student was practically laughable. It was one of the reasons why, when he framed Hagrid, almost no one thought to question him."

"I don't understand sir."

"Tom Riddle loved Hogwarts, Harry. He said to me multiple times that he considered it is his first home."

Harry was forcibly reminded of his words to Dobby, when the house-elf had tried to stop him from returning to the castle.

 _I can't; Hogwarts is my home!_

"So even if someone had thought that Riddle might've been involved, it would've been thought of as laughable. So he stayed at Hogwarts for seven straight years. He shut off the outside world, only relying on Diagon Alley and the Castle. He took interest in nothing beyond magic. Then came his graduation and the unfortunate death of his mother."

"She died sir?"

"Tom Riddle senior strangled her to death. She'd left what belongings she had to him, of course, and Tom received the news just before his graduation ceremony. He did not attend the celebration, but no one suspected anything of it. After all, he'd just learned of the death of his mother. It must surely cause him some pain, so why should he want to celebrate?"

"What happened then?" asked Harry, feeling he already knew the answer.

"It wasn't understood until years later, but he returned to his father's homestead, and killed him. I believe this was the first time Tom killed anyone, not counting the death of poor Myrtle Warren, caused by the Basilisk. It was certainly the first time he killed by his own hand, and it was where he made his first Horcrux: the ring of Slytherin I showed to you. Inherited from his mother."

"What did he do next?"

"It's not widely known," said Dumbledore. "But the general idea is that he traveled, gathering his horcruxes and power. He became obsessed with immortality and with saving the wizards, as he thought of it. What's worse, it was working. Most who follow him either want his power, or are just terrified, but there are a few who understand his view of the world. He is not an insane man, Harry… at least not what part of him is even still a man. He's largely sold himself to achieve his goal. In that aspect, I suppose, he is the very essence of a Slytherin: doing whatever is required to achieve his goal."

Harry instinctively sneered, thinking of Daphne. However, when he stood back and thought of it logically, Dumbledore sort of had a point. Still, Harry couldn't forget the snake-like face that had killed both his parents and Cedric.

"I don't think I can think of Voldemort as just a misguided person, sir."

"Nor would I ask you to," said Dumbledore, gravely. "Riddle's mistakes and path are undoubtedly his own. He may have his reasons, but he is not unaware of what it is he's doing. He is not out of control nor does he misunderstand his own actions. Tom may have some of your history Harry, but he still chose his path."

"And I chose mine," said Harry. "I am not Voldemort, professor. I can see why you were afraid of that, but I am not him, and I will not become what he is."

"I am an old fool, in some respects Harry, but you'll have to forgive my fears. After all, I'm sure Tom sees himself as the savior of the wizarding world in much the same way as many see you."

"Probably," said Harry shrugging. "The difference is that I'm willing to die to protect everyone, even the muggles if it comes to it. I acknowledge that our world does need to change if we're going to continue to live, but not like this."

"And that, my boy," said Dumbledore. "Is the love that Voldemort could never understand."

"Goodnight, professor."


	32. Espionage

Chapter 32: Espionage

Harry sat between Daphne and Neville in the great hall, and pulled some scrambled eggs towards himself while Hedwig helped herself to a piece of his bacon. Hagrid had made it back to the castle and invited them down to his hut for tea. Harry was eager to see the half-giant, and couldn't help but be curious about whether or not Hagrid had gotten any assistance from the giants.

It was getting towards Christmas break and while the subjects he did have were piling on the homework, the free periods he had as a sixth year helped him keep from feeling overwhelmed. Between their searches of the castle for Ravenclaw's diadem, his memory diving with Dumbledore, his curiosity over Malfoy and his ever-evolving relationship with Daphne, Harry found his free time was often anything but free.

"There he goes again," said Ron, nodding towards the Slytherin table.

Harry looked over, and sure enough, the blonde Slytherin had risen from the table and was heading out of the great hall, most likely to the seventh-floor corridor which housed the room of requirement.

"Like clockwork," said Daphne. "He'll be in there, guarded until our Defense Against the Dark Arts class, I imagine."

"If I could just see what he's doing!" Harry growled, thumping the table with his hand.

"I still can't see him being a death eater," said Hermione. "He's always been unpleasant, but is he really the kind of follow Voldemort?"

"Imagine being raised by Lucius and Narcissa," said Neville, glumly. "Personally, I agree with Harry. I wouldn't put it past him. He's always been a pure-blood supremacist."

"Death eater or not, you can't deny he isup to something," said Daphne, glaring in the direction that Malfoy had gone."

"Absolutely," said Tracey, taking Neville's hand in her own. "Oily little git. Whatever it is must be making him sick. He's not looking well."

"I actually had a thought on that," said Astoria softly, not looking at any of them.

"What is it, Tori?" asked Daphne, more concerned than curious.

"Well… what if I could get close to him? I mean, we were together in my second year. Granted, I wasn't in a good place then, but… I mean, he obviously saw something in me."

"I don't like it!" said Daphne firmly. "He's dangerous, Tori."

"All the more reason," said the younger Slytherin without flinching. "If he really is doing something, we should know what it is, right?"

"Well… yeah," said Ron. "Have to admit she's got a point."

"Ron!" said Hermione slapping him on the arm. "Imagine if it were Ginny!"

Ron turned a strange shade of purple at the thought.

"I have to admit I don't like his superior shit anymore than any of you," said Astoria. "But even you all have to admit he's been really withdrawn this year. He hasn't approached any of you, has he? The whole school knows of the rivalry between him and Harry."

"That is actually a good point," said Daphne, slowly. "He is really quiet."

"Do you reckon you actually can get him to confide in you?" asked Harry. "I mean, if he'd keeping this all secret, he wouldn't tell a girlfriend, would he?"

"Wouldn't he?" she asked. "I mean, you trust Daphne with everything, don't you?"

"Of course!" said Harry, winking at Daphne. "That's a bit different though."

"Not by much," said Astoria, as if explaining a spell to a class. "After all, he's under a ton of stress, clearly. You've all seen how ill he is? That's stress, no doubt. He looks sort of like Harry did after Cedric… Well, after the tri-wizard tournament. However, you had Daphne, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Tracey to lean on. Malfoy has who? Crabbe, Goyle and maybe Pansy Parkinson."

"Not her," said Tracey. "Way I hear it, she got really upset when he dumped her. I doubt she'd let him confide anything in her that wouldn't end up all over the school."

"All the better. So, if you had only Crabbe and Goyle that were close to you, how much would you trust them with?"

"No more than I absolutely had to," said Daphne, latching onto Astoria's idea. "Which means he's likely keeping this to him most of the time. Sure, he could talk to his parents, and maybe Snape, but they aren't there in the common room."

"Exactly," said Astoria smiling. "I've gotten to him before. So, I think I can work my way into his inner circle again.

"I'm still not sure I like it," said Daphne. "You're clever, little sister, but he is vindictive. And if he is a death eater, he has a lot more pull and power at his fingertips."

"All the more reason I need to do this. If he really is a death eater, he poses a real threat to people here, at Hogwarts. We already know Voldemort doesn't care about killing students. This is gearing up to be a war, sister. You're going to want a spy on the inside."

Daphne bit her lip and Harry stared down at his eggs. He was completely torn. He couldn't deny that Astoria's plan was a good one, but it certainly didn't come without a risk. However, Daphne appeared to have made up her mind on the matter.

"I want you to swear to me, little sister, that the second he seems unstable or dangerous to you that you will get away from him. I don't care what you have to do but you will keep yourself safe, do you understand me?"

Astoria smiled and embraced Daphne.

"I promise, and I love you too."

They separated and Harry reached out, grabbing the younger Greengrass' hand.

"Astoria… thank you for this. It means more than I can say. If there's anything I can do for you."

"There's one thing," she said. "Win this thing. I really don't want to be stuck in a world where Voldemort gets his way. I'll have to distance myself from you all, you understand? I doubt Malfoy will pay much attention to what I'm doing, but no reason to make him suspicious."

Harry nodded and released her.

"Good luck," Daphne whispered.

As Daphne had assumed, Malfoy wasn't seen again until their Defense class. Snape seemed to be in a particularly vindictive mood and paired them up to duel one another.

"You shall be using only non-verbal spells," he said harshly. "If I should catch any of you dunderheads whispering incantations, I shall be sure to remove house points and assign detentions than anything you might cast. Now partner up: Longbottom! You shall work with Malfoy."

Snape continued to assign them partners and Harry barely paid attention as Snape paired him up with Blaise Zabini. Blaise was a decent enough duelist, but he didn't have nearly as wide an arsenal nor was he nearly as fast as Harry was with his wand work, and he'd quickly disarmed the Slytherin.

Unable to sate his curiosity, he looked over to Neville and Malfoy. Harry had seen first-hand how skilled Neville had become over the past two years, but Malfoy had doubtless had a lot of training from his father, if not other death eaters. As the blonde Slytherin took up a dueling stance, Harry examined him closely as he could. He had to admit that Tracey was right; he did look very ill. He was paler than ever before, and his eyes had bags under them that reminded Harry of his inability to sleep after the graveyard. His robes hung loosely on him, as if they were too large, despite the fact that Malfoy made sure to always have the finest fitting clothes in their previous years.

His grey eyes, even now, bore a thousand-yard-stare that made Harry question how present the Malfoy heir actually was at that point. Not for the first time, Harry was reminded of the letter Sirius had left him, but he hadn't ever considered asking Malfoy what had been in it.

Now, Malfoy's stance was more one of obligation than actual malice or intent. As such, Neville was the first to strike. A jet of green let shot from his wand and Malfoy batted it away at the last second, striking back with a cutting curse. Neville rolled out of the way and Harry smiled. The Gryffindor boy clearly had taken their dueling lessons to heart.

"Potter! Zabini!" called Snape over the heads of several pair. "Perhaps you think yourselves above this exercise? Perhaps you would prefer to spend your time in detention with me this weekend?"

"No sir!" said Zabini, as Harry shook his head.

"Then get to it!" the greasy-haired professor snarled, turning on his heel to mock Hermione's spell work, despite her having disarmed Tracey just a moment ago.

"Stupefy!" hissed Zabini, whirling his wand at Harry.

Harry batted the attack away with the shield-charm, glancing at Snape, but of course their professor appeared to have heard nothing.

Harry dodged the Slytherin's next curse and hooked him by the ankle with the _levicorpus_ jinx. Zabini hadn't been expecting it and found himself dangling in the air, unable to get a clear shot at Harry, and quickly was hit by Harry's _expelliarmus_.

Harry looked back over and saw, to his surprise that Neville stood triumphantly over Malfoy, who Neville appeared to have defeated with an _incarcerous_ spell.

"That'll be detention, Longbottom!" said Snape, as he removed Malfoy's bonds with a flick of his wand. "And twenty points from Gryffindor."

"What for?" demanded Ron, even as Daphne disarmed him.

"For whispering incantations in class, as I warned at the beginning of the lesson," said Snape, snarling the last few words.

"But sir," said Parvati Patil. "Neville didn't whisper anything sir."

"And that will be another twenty for speaking out of turn!" snapped Snape at her before glaring at the rest of the class. "Would anyone else like to comment?"

His words were met with silence and after a moment, the duels resumed, although the tension in the air could've been cut with a knife. As they started to leave the class, Harry saw Tracey sneak close to Neville and kiss him on the cheek.

"Well done," she whispered before heading out of the class.

Harry looked at Neville and smiled brightly, nodding once. Neville beamed back.


	33. The Dawn

Chapter 33: The Dawn

Harry groaned and ran his hands over his face. The past few months had been pushing him and causing him stress, but it was nothing he hadn't been through before. Besides it was better than the last year had been. Astoria, true to her word, had spied on Malfoy for them and her news had been more than a little troubling.

While he hadn't said definitively that he was a death eater, he _had_ mentioned working for Voldemort. He mentioned a task only he could do. They hadn't been able to say for sure what it was he was supposed to do, but Harry and Daphne agreed that if it was on Voldemort's orders it was something very dark.

Sadly, without knowing exactly what he was doing within the room of requirement, they couldn't go to where Malfoy was going, and couldn't undo his plans. Still, it was Ron who came up with a rather brilliant idea.

 _"I mean,"_ he had said. _"You can't use the room when Malfoy's in there, right? So what if we all just took shifts in there. He couldn't use it and can't do whatever it is he's doing."_

It took more than a little cooperation with a few of the people from the DA that Harry trusted, but they managed to keep a rotation where the youngest Malfoy either couldn't access the room, or else had only small windows in which he could use it.

Harry and Daphne took the overnight shifts and were able to resume the sleeping arrangement they'd had during the summer, which put both of them at ease. It made Harry a little upset he hadn't thought of it last year, but it was better late than never. In the morning, Daphne would barrow his cloak and slip down to the Slytherin dorms to get ready for the day while he would use what the room provided him with to get ready for his until another student would switch with him.

Dumbledore was sure that whatever Malfoy was up to, it was nothing to be concerned about, but Harry wasn't about to let him do something under Voldemort's orders. Luckily the students trusted him and those who had been part of the DA were ready to take part in what they saw as the first step against Voldemort.

Keeping their schedules right was a right pain in the ass, but luckily Hermione, Daphne and more than a few Ravenclaws agreed to help sort it out. All-in-all it meant there was only three times a week when Malfoy could assess the room if he skipped his classes to do it, and Astoria was doing her best to prevent him from skipping class, pointing out how obvious it would be if he did it too often.

So, while they might not have been able to stop Malfoy cold, they had at least slowed him to a slug pace.

Still, they searched all around for the elusive horcrux, but to no avail. More than once, Harry had toyed with the idea that Voldemort hadn't hidden one at Hogwarts after all, but he always rejected the thought. It fit too well and made to much sense for him to not hide one at his first true home. The disconcerting thing was the deeper Harry examined Voldemort, the more he saw traces of himself.

Voldemort was clever, brilliant even, and Harry might not be as smart as Daphne but he was capable. Tom had been daring and was never afraid to be on the front lines. Harry would as soon do battle himself as ask any of his friends to do the same. Voldemort loved the magical world and shunned the muggle one, and Harry was again forced to admit that Dumbledore was likely right in forcing him to return to the muggle world, even if he hated it.

He was snapped out of his inner musings when Daphne stirred next to him in the room's conjured bed. Her long curtain of sun-kissed hair brushed his arm as she nestled into his shoulder. He lay on his back and she had draped her arm and leg around his form, leaving them frozen in that pose until morning. It was peaceful, serene even.

Suddenly there was a series of soft beeps coming from Harry's watch, indicating their time together was up.

"Hey love," he said softly, kissing her forehead. "Time to get up."

Daphne groaned in displeasure as he moved out from beneath her and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. His feet hit the soft carpet beneath the bed and he appreciated the relative warmth that the stone floors of the castle could not offer. Meanwhile, Daphne stood and stretched her arms up over her head. Harry looked over at her, smiling at the image of his girlfriend in silk pajamas with her hair in a messy halo around her head.

"Morning," she said groggily.

"I like this," he said, smirking slightly. "Seeing you like this in the morning. I never get tired of seeing it."

Daphne smiled and blew him a kiss. He would've preferred a proper one, but she hated to kiss him with morning breath. She climbed out of the bed and Harry held up the invisibility cloak, sliding it over her shoulders as she disappeared from sight.

"And what about now?" she asked, as she slipped the hood up, and her face disappeared from view.

"Now, not so much."

He heard her _tut_ softly.

"Shame, Mr. Potter. You're supposed to tell a woman she always looks beautiful."

"Even when invisible?"

"Especially when invisible."

"Good to now."

He felt her leave his gasp and a seconds later the door to the hallway opened.

"See you soon," he called softly.

"I love you."

The door shut and Harry moved to the shower offered by the room and waited until he knew breakfast would be getting ready in the great hall. Normally Neville would've taken his place by now, but he supposed the Gryffindor boy was running late. Harry considered waiting from him until his stomach protested loudly. He looked down at himself.

"I've gained weight," he acknowledged aloud.

He was still relatively thin, but he was no longer dangerously underweight. His joints didn't ever hurt him anymore and he'd grown slightly taller too. He was still a head shorter than people like Ron, but he was at least taller than Daphne, something she'd expressed approval of. He had to admit, he also approved of the changes. He doubted he'd ever be particularly muscle-bound, but he no longer looked like a second-year who had gotten lost with a group of people older than himself.

Harry eventually figured Neville must've been running late, or had gone to breakfast first, and left the room of requirement. For all the room's talents and secrets, the one thing it couldn't really do was provide food. Hermione had explained it once, but Harry had quickly lost sense of what she was talking about. There was some law of magic that prevented making food from thin air, but he hadn't really been interested enough to follow her all the way through.

Putting on his new robes, Harry exited the room and went down to the great hall, where Hermione, Tracey and Daphne sat, already in discussion about their day and where else they might search for the horcrux.

"Morning!" he said cheerily, and Daphne instantly broke out into a smile.

Harry kissed her on the cheek and took his seat next to her at the table.

"So cute," said Tracey, as she flung a spoonful of porridge at Harry, which he blocked with his plate. "I have to say I'm pleased I was correct about you two."

"How so?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh I saw the chemistry between them years ago," said Tracey sagely, stroking her chin. "If only Daphne had listened to me in second year the Ice Queen would've been melted much sooner, but better late than never."

"Oh really?" asked Daphne, raising an eyebrow. "So you didn't tell me that making friends with Harry Potter was… let me recall, 'the worst social decision one was capable of making?"

Tracey started, but recovered quickly.

"My dear Miss Greengrass," she said, with all the demeanor of the Hogwarts professor. "What better way was there to convince you to do something?"

They all laughed and Harry added bacon and eggs to his plate while the owls swooped overhead, dropping their mail and parcels.

"I admit," said Daphne, as she took a sip of her juice. "I find your fascination on my relationship a bit perturbing. Don't you have your own boyfriend to ogle, Tracey?"

"Of course," said Tracey. "But I'm the one who has to deal with your frustrated teenage hormones and unfulfilled sexual tension you're carrying."

Harry choked on his bacon and Hermione thumped him several times on the back until he was able to breathe again. Daphne hadn't moved in response, although he could see a slight pink blush had appeared on her face.

"I would think you would be focused on your own fulfillment," said Daphne, pretending not to be off-put by her longtime friend.

"And who says I'm not?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're not exactly _around_ the dorms anymore. You've no idea _what_ I'm up to at nighttime."

Harry cleared his throat and they turned to him.

"Skipping over whatever you and Neville are or aren't doing," he said. "Where is your boyfriend this morning, Tracey?"

Tracey raised an eyebrow, confused.

"He didn't meet with you?"

"No, I figured he was here with you all."

"I haven't seen him," said Hermione. "He left before I did this morning. Ron was with him. I assumed they just wanted an early breakfast because I've never known Ron to skip breakfast. Well… I'm sure we must've just missed them. We'll see them in defense, I'm sure."

But they didn't see Neville or Ron in their Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. All-in-all that may have been for the best. Snape was on the prowl and bearing down on any Gryffindor who was less than on perfect form that morning. Harry did take pleasure in noting that Malfoy seemed particularly ill that day. His hair was very greasy and unkempt, and his skin was dry and cracked in several places.

Oddly enough, he still was acting as though Harry and his friends didn't exist. Rather, he only seemed focused on whatever it was Voldemort had tasked him with. Still, if he was in class it meant he hadn't found his way into the room of requirement, and that he wasn't about to do whatever it was he was doing in there.

It did concern Harry that two of his friends were nowhere to be seen. Neither boy showed up throughout Defense Against the Dark Arts; nor were they in Herbology. Concerned now, Harry decided to check in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey insisted she hadn't seen Neville or Ron for several months: not since Neville had broken his foot by accident.

They didn't see the Gryffindor boys until the lunch hour, when both confidently flopped into the seats beside Tracey and Hermione, covered in muck and wearing smirks that would've made even Lucius Malfoy jealous.

"Hey!" called Harry, as excited as he was surprised. "Where have you been?"

"And what on earth are you covered in?" asked Tracey, looking caught between relief and revolution.

"Oh," said Neville glancing down at himself. "We were doing a bit of exploration."

"Where?" asked Harry. "Inside a slug?"

"Almost," said Ron, still smiling brightly. "See Neville and I have been in the Chamber of Secrets."

"You've been… excuse me?" asked Hermione, staring bewildered at him. "You can't have! You need to be a parselmouth to…"

"And we've heard Harry speak it a dozen times, haven't we?" Ron said pointedly.

"Why would you be down there?" asked Daphne, raising an eyebrow."

"Well," said Neville evasively. "We needed a Basilisk Fang, didn't we?"

"What on earth for?" asked Tracey.

"Oh, not much," said Ron empty what looked like a very dirty sack onto the table. "Just this."

Harry stared in disbelief as a broken Diadem fell onto the table, bearing the Ravenclaw crest.


	34. Explaining

Chapter 34: Explaining

Harry sat there for what had to be at least two complete seconds. Luckily, Daphne was not so star-struck and immediately snatched up the diadem, shoving it into Harry's schoolbag.

"What the hell?" asked Ron, confused.

" _Muffliato_ ," Harry said quickly, catching on.

"Thank you Harry," said Daphne, releasing a long breath. "Now, how did you two get this?"

"Oh," said Ron, sheepishly. "Well, Neville and I were leaving this morning to get some breakfast this morning. I decided we could go down together and bring some food up to Harry when Neville went to take his turn in the room."

"Yeah," said Harry suddenly. "I was wondering what happened when you didn't show up."

"Well, we were sort of interrupted," said Neville, shaking slightly. "We ran into Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle on our way down, and Malfoy was livid."

"He went on about how Neville must've cheated in their duel during Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ron jumped in. "He went on about his father and power and… Well, you know how he is."

"More than I'd like to," said Daphne softly. "Please, continue."

"Well Ron took on Crabbe and Goyle, and ran down the stairs, drawing them off me."

"I moved over towards the kitchens."

"Really?" asked Hermione. "You were thinking of food at a time like that?!"

"No… well, a little," Ron admitted. "But more than that, I knew the Hufflepuff dorms were near the kitchens, and a lot of them were in the DA, weren't they? As I hit their corridor, I almost knocked over Hannah Abbot and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Well, as soon as they saw Crabbe and Goyle chasing me, they caught what was going on. They might be decent bullies, but they're no good at a duel, especially when they were outnumber, and the longer they stayed there, the more Hufflepuffs might come out. So they just cursed at us a bit and went to find Malfoy. I decided to cover the room and followed as quietly as I could."

"However," said Neville. "He was busy chasing me around the fourth floor, slashing at whatever he could. He's got some new spell I haven't seen before. It's pretty nasty though, he chopped the head off clean off a statue I hid behind. Anyway I managed to give him the slip when I hid in the History of Magic classroom. Binns wasn't in there and he never really pays attention anyway. Soon as Malfoy passed the room, I ran off."

"So, I caught up with Neville near the room and we knew Malfoy couldn't be far behind. So, Neville and I thought about a place to hide away and the room became this really big room of all sorts of junk."

"What was in there?" asked Hermione curiously.

"What wasn't in there?" Neville responded. "It was half the size of the great hall and piled ceiling high with piles and piles of stuff, Hermione. Books, robes, scrolls, and… well of course the diadem. We were looking at this cabinet when I saw that diadem, and after a moment, we realized what it was. I thought we should bring it to Dumbledore."

"But neither of us knew the password to his office and it was either spend an hour guessing candies, or get the venom ourselves and I knew where the Chamber of Secrets was, so we went to Myrtle's bathroom."

"But how'd you get into the chamber?" asked Harry. "You have to speak parselmouth."

"Well, I sort of… pretended," said Ron, smirking. "I've heard you do it before, so I just kind of hissed at it until it eventually opened. I don't it matters exactly what you say to it. You just have to speak parseltongue to it and it'll open. It took a quick minute, but eventually we got it and managed to get to the snake. I have to admit, even knowing the thing was dead, it was pretty scary. Don't know how you did it Harry."

"Should've known it came down to dumb luck," said Hermione sulkily. "I can't believe we didn't think to just ask for a hiding place from the room. Of course that's what Malfoy's probably been asking it for. That's why we couldn't find him."

"I have admit that's… frustrating from a standpoint," said Daphne. "Still, I'll take it if it means were down another horcrux, that leaves just him and the snake, and you can bet she will be by his side."

"We need to speak to Dumbledore," said Harry. "Who's got the room now?"

"Padma Patil," said Tracey after thinking for a moment. "I'm supposed to go swap with her soon so she can go to charms, actually."

"Good," said Harry. "Daphne and I will go to Dumbledore, he'll want to hear about this and we can discuss how to handle the snake."

He noticed as he stood up that he was smiling ear-to-ear. He couldn't help it. They were actually doing it. They might actually pull this off. They traveled up to the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office and gave the password: Apple Rings. The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside and they ascended the slowly rotating spiral staircase that lead to the headmaster's office.

As they approached the door, they heard Dumbledore speaking sternly, although his words were just slightly slurred.

"It is the only answer I see Severus," said the headmaster.

Harry, curious, leaned closer to hear and Daphne mimicked him.

"This has never happened before headmaster, there are several possible solutions."

"Really?" asked Dumbledore, with a greater emphasis than Harry knew him to use. "I would be delighted to hear your alternative theories, Severus."

Snape was quiet.

Sure they weren't going to hear much more without being discovered, Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore, and Daphne opened the door.

"Miss Greengrass," said Snape. "And Mr. Potter… Delightful. Shouldn't you be heading to Charms with the other Gryffindors, Potter?"

"This took priority, sir," said Daphne, pulling out the diadem.

"Is that…" Snape began.

"It was," Harry said, smiling despite the potion master's presence.

"Where did you recover this?" asked Dumbledore.

"The room of requirement, sir," said Harry. "If you ask for a hiding place, it leads to a room with a bunch of stuff, this was one of them. Ron and Neville found it and stabbed it with a basilisk fang from the Chamber of Secrets."

"This diadem was a priceless artifact from one of the founders of Hogwarts," said Snape, sneering.

"It was a horcrux, sir," said Daphne, taking Harry's hand.

Dumbledore was examining it in closer detail and for the first time since entering the office, Harry noticed a bottle of Bungbarrel's Spiced Mead open on the headmaster's desk next to a shining crystal glass. The bottle was nearly half-gone.

"Sir," said Harry, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Severus," said Dumbledore sharply. "Leave us."

Snape seemed as if he were about to refuse, but bit his tongue and left the room, his long black cloak billowing out behind him, as if in a gust of wind.

"Harry, Daphne… sit, please. I also would ask you to place your wands upon the desk, please."

"Why headmaster?" asked Daphne, pulling her wand out.

"Because I have unpleasant news and I am not entirely sure you will not attempt to blast me apart once it is delivered… not that I would entirely blame you if you did."

Harry cautiously placed his holly wand on the headmaster's desk, cleared of so many of its silver whirling instruments. Dumbledore reached down and pulled out two more crystal glasses and poured some of the mead into them before offering the drinks to Harry and Daphne.

Harry looked at him stunned.

"Sir?"

"Drink, Harry. This is a very hard conversation and I should not want to either deliver or hear it while entirely sober."

Harry did as he was told and felt the mead tickle his tongue and throat. It tasted like slightly bitter blackberries, but did tingle his brain slightly. Daphne seemed to have greater reservations, but after a pointed look from the headmaster, she also drained her glass.

"Now then… I must congratulate you on destroying another horcrux, although I fear this doesn't make things much easier for you, Harry."

"It must though, sir," said Harry, feeling just a smidge slower in his response than he meant to. "It's just him and the snake now, right?"

Dumbledore bit his lip hard enough that Harry saw a bead of blood.

"As I had thought it was," said the old wizard, draining another glass of the mead. "However… I have recently discovered… or perhaps theorized a rather unpleasant idea, Harry. I bid your forgiveness on this matter. I swear to you that I had no idea of this when I brought forth the idea of the horcruxes before."

"What is it headmaster?" asked Daphne, wrapping her arms protectively around Harry.

"What do you know of your scar, Harry?"

"My scar?" Harry repeated, confused. "Only that it hurts when Voldemort is near, or when we're both emotionally venerable. It hasn't really hurt so much this year."

"It was also given to you when you were cursed by Voldemort Harry. Tell me, have you ever wondered where you got the ability to speak to snakes?"

"Honestly… no, sir. I just figured certain wizards could. I know it's not exactly common, but…"

"It is a genetic trait, Harry. Slytherin was famous for it and it is from Slytherin that Voldemort inherited this particular ability. You however do not have the same claim in this regard. Neither James nor Lily possessed the ability to speak to snakes."

"I don't understand, what does that have to do with…"

"And have you never wondered why it burns when Voldemort is near you, emotionally or physically?"

"I figured it was just because he cast the killing curse."

"Yet you yourself have cast a few curses… have you ever connected with the afflicted individual?"

"Well… no," said Harry, still not understanding where the conversation was going. "But the killing curse is sort of unusual, so I didn't really question it."

"Of course," said Dumbledore softly. "Harry. I do not think it is the fact that your survived the curse that gives you your connection to Voldemort. It is my theory that Voldemort was so used to tearing his soul after killing that more out of reaction to his rebounded curse than anything else, he accidently made another horcrux when he killed your mother, my boy."

"Headmaster," said Daphne slowly. "What are you saying?"

"It is my theory that… you Harry, are a horcrux."

Silence followed his statement and Harry swore he could hear the cold laughter that haunted his nightmares. He waited for a long moment, hoping that the aged wizard before him would laugh or explain himself, and explain that he wasn't a piece of Voldemort… but he didn't. Instead the headmaster just poured them all another drink, which Harry drained at once.

"Headmaster," said Daphne, he voice shaking horribly. "What… what do you mean that Harry's a horcrux? I didn't even think living people could be one!"

"It's not been done before," said Dumbledore, and Harry could see the tearstains on his cheeks as his voice trembled. "But it stands to reason. His snake is one, so it is likely Harry could also harbor a piece of Tom's soul in himself as well. I do not like the thought of it, but I have no other valid theories at this point in time, Harry."

"So… I have to die," Harry said softly, more declaring than asking. "I have to become this…"

He reached out and grasped the broken diadem.

"But there's a way, right?!" asked Daphne her voice far higher than Harry had ever heard it. "There's a way to take care of this without him dying?"

Dumbledore sunk into the chair.

"I… I confess that I have no plan that would allow that. I've done my best, thought of legends that might be true, and only one holds any credence at all, and I confess I don't believe it would truly work. Harry… I'm afraid that if Voldemort is to be truly defeated… you will have to die."


	35. Not Without a Fight

A/N: Sorry it's been a while since my last update, got a stomach flu that really knocked me out. I was throwing up blood and bedridden for over a week. But back on my feet now. Still sound like I've been smoking for fifty years, but I'm feeling much better thanks to some time resting and some help from my doctor. Anyway, thanks for your patience.

Chapter 35: Not Without a Fight

Harry grimaced and stood up, walking out of the headmaster's office without another word. He heard Daphne behind him but he didn't turn and face her. He couldn't face her right then because all he wanted at that moment was to sink and disappear into the floor and never be seen by the world again. It was damn unfair!

He'd done so much and fought for every inch of his life from the time that he was one year old. He'd overcome his aunt and uncle, the return of Voldemort, a shadow of Voldemort and a giant snake most thought didn't exist, a would-be serial killer who he'd thought betrayed his parents, a tournament with three people who were far more experienced than himself and Voldemort's return, his godfather's death and finally he'd helped destroy almost all of Voldemort's immortal soul chains. After all of that he was told that none of it mattered because he was not going to get a happy ending because he had to die…

"Harry Potter!" he heard Daphne behind but he didn't acknowledge her.

He didn't have the strength to look at her. So, when she snatched his wrist and forced herself in front of him, he didn't look up, examining their shoes instead. His shoes were a good set of trainers, they actually fit his feet instead of being cast-offs of Dudley's. The t-shirt and jeans beneath his robes fit him too. He'd never forgotten how wonderful that was… having clothes that actually fit him. Hell, even having clothing that was actually his own was great.

Ron understood that frustration.

Despite the huge difference in their parentage, Harry and Ron understood each other in a lot of ways. Ron understood what it was like to never have owned anything that was truly his until he'd gotten a wand all his own. Ron had to deal with his older brother's robes and brooms and even their pets for years. It made things that you really owed infinitely more valuable. They were… well his.

Daphne wasn't his in the same way; they belonged to each other. They'd talked about marriage, which Harry had never let himself dream of. She'd fought as hard as he had, but she'd fought for them, and never once complained. She'd never taken out her frustration on him, instead turning it into a sort of strength. She was as determined as any Gryffindor and more clever than any Ravenclaw and yet it was her ambition in combination with that determination and intelligence that had put her in Slytherin… and she'd chosen him.

She'd picked him.

That thought went through his head twice more before it really connected with anything. He remembered sitting down by the black lake, and how the blonde girl who he'd never said two words to came up behind him and scared him senseless just to talk to him and be a friend when he'd needed one more than ever before. She'd never expected anything from him for everything she'd done. She'd never asked anything from him other than to be himself.

He couldn't explain exactly what that meant to him. It wasn't just that she loved him, but it was that loved him when he wasn't even trying. She loved him when he was at his worst and she'd seen all the things he hated about himself, but instead of shying away from those things or covering them up, she'd loved him. He was accepted by her. And he had seen who she was too.

She wasn't perfect.

She was human and had her own flaws just as he did. She often woke him up in the middle of the night with some odd question that had gripped her that she couldn't stop thinking about. He knew first-hand how she could get red in the face when she was upset, even though her voice would be outwardly calm. She rarely spoke her mind unfiltered unless they were alone, so often even he had to think through what she said to understand her in groups. Yet for all her imperfections, he loved her more, because it was real.

Oh sure, he'd been frustrated by those habits of hers, but that was part of relationships. Still, in his frustration, he'd never for a second stopped loving her. He'd never wanted her to not be there. He'd never once wanted to lose her. She was a part of him, more than anyone else ever had been.

Only none of that mattered now.

He forced himself to look up and saw tears pooling in her eyes. She reached up placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing her thumb over a scar on his jawline that he'd got during the third task two years ago.

"Harry," she said, and her voice shook slightly. "I'm going to say something and I need you to listen to me. Can you promise me you'll do that?"

"I promise," he said softly.

"I mean it," she said, her left hand forming a vice-like grip on his wrist. "You'll listen to me and you'll understand me."

"I promise," he said again, a little more firmly.

"This changes nothing."

He looked right into her eyes. What surprised him wasn't the tears. He'd have been more surprised if she wasn't tearing up, honestly. What surprised him was the honestly. She truly believed what she was saying.

"I hear you," he said. "I do. But Daphne, you know this isn't a matter of us just believing that we'll do something. This isn't a question of doing the impossible. You can try to do something that's never been done, but there isn't an answer here. There's nothing we can even try for here. This isn't like fighting Voldemort. We don't get to just fight hard and try to overcome the odds. This is an impossible question."

"So sod the question, and sod the rules, Harry Potter. I am not just going to let this happen. Maybe there isn't an answer, but you do not know me at all if you think I'm not going to turn over every theoretical rock I can to try and find one. All I'm asking is you don't give up, not while there's a breath in you."

Harry opened his mouth, couldn't think of what to say, and closed it again. After several long seconds he asked her one word.

"How?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "I have no idea how we get around this, but we have places to start. Ron's brother is a curse-breaker, right? Goblins deal with all sorts of strange curses and unusual magics. Goblins are not likely to like us exactly, but they aren't unreasonable… usually. You control a lot of gold and influence and I think if they truly understand you're sympathetic to the condition of goblins and house-elves, they might be willing to help you. Besides, you're the best shot anyone has against Voldemort and they can't want him in charge anymore than we do."

"Bill might know something," Harry said, although he didn't really believe it.

"I also want to look into the ritual your mother used to protect you. It's old magic, right? There's got to be a ton of information if we can find the right place and I'll bet that can be used to help us. I mean, your mom's protection existed before Voldemort cursed you, right?"

Harry looked at her, surprise hitting him. She was, of course, right. He hadn't thought about that.

"Yeah," he said. "She died protecting me. Voldemort said that it was an old magic he'd forgotten about, but I honestly think he just never put much stock in it."

"And because he doesn't put stock in it, he won't have studied it. We won't make that mistake."

She embraced him and Harry returned her gesture, only to realize that he was crying.

"You really think we can do this?"

"I don't know," she said, so quietly he almost didn't hear her. "I'm scared, Harry. I only know I'd rather try and fail than just let him take you from me."

"I love you, Daphne Greengrass."

"I love you too, Harry Potter. And don't you dare forget that or Voldemort will be the least of your problems."

"Yes ma'am," he said, choking up.

They stayed like that for a long while, neither willing to be the first to break the embrace. Eventually students began to enter the halls and Daphne took him into the great hall, sitting at the table and stroking his hand softly. They whispered to each other, trying to think of other areas of study that were as unusual as his scar.

Half of what they came up with was completely stupid, but nothing was off the table and when the rest of their group entered the hall, Daphne explained the situation to everyone, and he looked up to see shock on every one of their faces.

"We're not going to give in without a fight," said Daphne, firmly.

"Hell no," said Tracey. "You two worked too hard to just go out like that. That would be a really stupid ending to you two. What's the plan?"

"We need to get in contact with Bill and Fleur," said Harry to Ron. "Maybe the goblins know something about all this."

"That's a great idea!" said Ron, enthusiastically. "Bill was telling us about all sorts of crazy stuff in those Egyptian crypts! I'll send Pig out tonight!"

"Hermione and I need to do some spell research on the ritual Harry's mom used," said Daphne. "I figure the two of us stand the best chance in that area, no offense."

"We're not offended," said Neville. "How can we help?"

"You know more about Herbology than anyone I know," said Harry. "You probably know a few experts in the field that could find plants that can deal with near-death states. Obviously we can't tell them what's going on, but see what you can find out. We could probably tell Sprout the truth, but be discreet."

"I'll make sure it's kept quiet," said Tracey.

"And I'll talk to Tori, see if she can get ahold of mom and dad, see what they know."

"I could probably ask Fred and George as well," said Ron. "They're great at thinking around problems and stuff. Have to be, in order to think up half their stuff. They might have something we can try… I mean, anything's worth a shot, right?"

"What about Susan Bones?" asked Hermione. "She's in the DA and she did agree to help us out with Malfoy. Her aunt's head of the auror office. I can't imagine she wouldn't help us if we worded it right."

"I can ask Moody and Lupin too," said Harry. "They've seen all sorts of stuff and Moody's faced more dark arts than almost anyone. Between all of us working this out, we've got to find something we can try."

"Good," said Daphne, smiling. "We have a plan of action. Well then, I believe you all know what needs to be done?"

They nodded and without even grabbing a bite to eat they split up, heading towards the owlery or the library. As Harry stood up, he felt Daphne tug at his sleeve and he looked at her, raising an eyebrow. Then, on impulse he leaned forward and kissed her softly. She returned the motion, smiling through it.

"I want you to promise me something," she said so that only he could hear.

"Anything."

"I want you to marry me once you're of age this summer."

"You mean if we can get through all this?"

"I mean regardless."

"You serious?"

"Deadly."

He looked her in the eye and smiled brightly at her.

"Yeah… of course!"


	36. According to Plan

Chapter 36: According to Plan

The next several months seem to slide by with little regard to what Harry and his friends did or how much progress they'd made. To their credit, each of them had risen magnificently to the occasion. Bill had taken Harry and Daphne to meet with the goblin Ragnok, who was Bill's supervisor within Gringotts. The goblin was, as was the case with most of his race, cautious and Harry found that neither his name nor abilities seemed to hold any sway with the creature.

In fact, the goblin was rather dismissive of both himself and Daphne until Bill mentioned Harry's treatment of Dobby. It had caused an immediate interest within the goblin.

 _"_ _You speak of the house-elf that was once in the employment of the Malfoy family?"_

 _"_ _Yes," said Harry, taken aback by the goblin's sudden interest and quick speech._

 _"_ _I had heard you were associated with the house-elf in question. What is your relationship with him?"_

 _"_ _He's my friend," said Harry. "He was being mistreated by his family and I helped get him freed. Since then we've been good friends. He's helped me out a lot over the years."_

 _"_ _So you would say you trust this elf?"_

 _Harry examined Ragnok carefully. For some reason, this line of discussion had captured the goblin's interest far more than anything they'd had to say about Voldemort._

 _"_ _I'd trust him with my life," said Harry, honestly. "He's saved me before… Although I'll admit he can be… well, slightly overenthusiastic from time to time."_

 _"_ _I see," said Ragnok, tapping one long finger against his desk. "Very Mr. Potter, you shall have the assistance of the goblins in this most unusual matter. I trust you will take care to remember this service when the time comes."_

 _"_ _I never forget those who help me, sir," said Harry, nodding. "If the time comes I can help you or the goblin nature in the future, I shall remember your assistance in this matter."_

Bill and Daphne seemed slightly disturbed by the idea of the him owing the goblin nation a favor, but as Daphne pointed out, right now it was a better alternative than allowing him to die without trying to fight it.

Hermione and Daphne had found a possible alternative, but Harry disliked it. If someone were willing to repeat the ritual, as Harry's mother had, it was likely it would result in a similar shield as the one that Lily's sacrifice had provided him. However, Harry was throughly against anyone else dying for him. More than enough people had died already and he was naive enough to assume he could stop death, but he couldn't willing cause more good people to die either.

There was another idea as well, but neither Harry nor Daphne much liked the idea of it. Susan had come to them and explained a theory her aunt had come up with. Within the department of mysteries there was a veil that lead to the world of death. The unspeakables had been experimenting with it for ages, although their research wasn't exactly conclusive.

The theory was that if Harry passed through the veil it would kill either himself or the piece of Voldemort's soul, but not both. However, they had no idea which would be more likely to be taken by the veil. Harry and Daphne eventually agreed to hold onto it as a last resort, if the goblins didn't come up anything.

Neville had found a huge list of plants that could help Harry focus his mind and that would supposedly have purifying effects, but in the end it didn't seem like it would really accomplish what they needed. Shockingly the idea of attaching a piece of your soul to another human being just wasn't very common place, and so any way to really reverse the process was more theoretical than practical.

When there was just a month left in the school year, Dumbledore called Harry up to his office again. Harry was hopeful that the headmaster had some plan to see him through this whole problem, although he didn't see how it was possible. The headmaster seemed older and more decrepit than Harry had ever seen him.

"Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore, and his voice croaked as if it had been many years since he'd last used it. "I told you last time we spoke that I had one theory on how you might survive this incident with Voldemort, didn't I?"

"Yes sir."

"Tell me Harry, what do you know of the story of the Deathly Hallows?"

Harry remembered reading the story with Daphne in the Tales of Beetle the Bard, and recounted it easily enough. It had been slightly interesting to him, but he'd never given it any serious thought. Dumbledore explained that the story, while likely a myth, did have some base in reality as far as the hallows were concerned.

"You see, it was said if anyone possessed all three hallows, they would be the master of death, Harry."

"I don't understand sir."

"The master of death Harry. It is nothing to cruel as immortality, but I believe that with these hallows collected you would be likely to survive having Voldemort's soul removed from you."

"Sir," said Harry softly. "We've spent so much time searching for horcruxes and I have war to win against the most evil wizard alive since Grindelwald. I don't have the time to search for a fairy tale that might not even help."

"Nor would I ask you to take such time. However, I believe we have these hallows already. When I was a younger man I spent my time obsessed with the hallows and with the wand in particular Harry. This is the elder wand."

Dumbledore held out his wand and Harry examined, feeling himself get slightly excited despite his own dismissal of the idea of the hallows.

"As for the resurrection stone, you have already held it," Dumbledore held up the ring that they had destroyed, and Harry looked at it closer.

Engraved upon its surface was the symbol of the death hallows.

"So this stone… it can bring back the dead?" he asked, trying not to sound overly excited. "It actually works?"

Dumbledore held up his hands.

"Yes… and no. It would allow you to speak with the dead, Harry. However, they will never truly belong to this world, and it will not bring them back to life. However, for a brief moment, you may speak with them. I leave this with you in the hopes that you will not forget my warning to you in your first year regarding the mirror of erised."

"It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live," Harry recited, remembering the warning all too well. "I remember sir."

Dumbledore slide the ring to Harry, who pocketed it immediately, feeling excitement flood through him. Dreams or not, it left him the chance to speak to Sirius and his parents again. If it really worked, that was.

"Well sir," he said softly. "That covers the ring and the wand, but what about the cloak?"

Yet, as soon as he asked, he knew the answer.

"That has been in your possession since your first year, Harry. Have you never wondered why your cloak does not wear out, nor has it ever been removed from you against your will?"

Harry nodded softly, his head still spinning over the idea that the hallows were more than a children's tale, and they held them.

"There is more, Harry, and I fear you shall not like it."

"Headmaster," said Harry solidly. "I learned that I'm likely going to die, and am attempting to find a new form of magic that no one else has ever considered to prevent it. I doubt there is anything you can tell me that will upset me more than that."

"Very well… As you have discovered and attempted to warn me about, Draco Malfoy is within the employ of Voldemort. It is my understanding that he has accepted the dark mark."

Harry resisted the urge to scream. He had been the one who suggested that in the first place.

"I have known about this since the start of the year," said Dumbledore softly.

"You… you've let a known death eater into your school and around other students… You knew a servant of Voldemort walks through these halls and your reaction to this is to do… nothing?"

"I do nothing, because I know what his task is… and it's one he must succeed in."

"And what is this task that's apparently worth endangering hundreds of students?"

"To kill me," said Dumbledore simply.

Harry stood and thanks in no small part to his occlumency training he kept silent while the headmaster explained that he intended to let Malfoy kill him. Harry found that he didn't even feel dismay, or even anger anymore. Rather he felt very, very tired. It was as if he'd reached the pinnacle of disappointment, and now could only feel exasperation.

"So," he said, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses. "Malfoy kills you, I take these hallows and try not to die. That about the size of it?"

"In so many words, yes," said Dumbledore gently. "That is the plan."

"Headmaster, your plan is horrible. Everything in me screams to stop you. I think I likely could too, you know? Between myself, Daphne and everyone else, I think we could save you, so to speak. However, I've also learned something from our talks these past few years. I am not you, sir. I will not meddle in someone else's life choices without their desire or permission. I don't agree with your choice to accept death, but it is your choice to make, and I will not unmake it for you. I believe Hermione and my fiancé will want to speak with you, if you're willing. We have an idea for a ritual that might work."

"I had a similar thought," said Dumbledore. "I hope you do understand Harry, that for all my failures with you, for all my shortcomings and plain stupidity, I do love you. I admit that does not undo any of my actions. However, it is an honest truth."

"I know, sir," Harry said. "I appreciate it too, but I hope you understand that you manipulated and controlled my life, and while I do not hate you, it will be a while before I can forgive you for that. However, all things considered beyond that, you were like the first parent I can remember having had. I merely understand that part of growing up is learning that parents are far from perfect. Still, I do love you sir, even if I disagree with you on several points."

"And in that, Harry, I believe you are several times more a man than many others, myself included. Now then, if you will send Miss Greengrass and Miss Granger to my office, I believe I have a great many things to discuss with them."

"They won't like this plan of yours either, sir."

"No, no I don't expect they will," said Dumbledore smiling softly. "But as you've pointed out, this is my choice to make, and personally… I am so very tired that heading off to a very long sleep sounds more and more appealing with each passing day. I think the greatest I can do now is to have some meaning left in my death. If in that I can keep you alive and help put a stop to Voldemort… Well, perhaps that will be enough."

"I suppose this is goodbye then, sir?"

"It is, until we should meet again, Harry. However, I do hope that shall not be for a great many years to come."


	37. The Passing

Chapter 37: The Passing

Harry shivered involuntarily, pulling his invisibility cloak around himself.

"You do, of course, understand that you must not interfere," said Dumbledore softly. "You have agreed to this, Harry."

"I understand," said Harry softly. "Doesn't mean I like it. Isn't there another way, sir?"

"Oh I imagine there are a great many ways, Harry. Nevertheless, I feel within my being that this is the best way… the right way. To you, I suppose this seems insane, perhaps. However, I have come to understand and trust my gut instinct in cases such as this, and it is usually not wrong."

Unable to stop himself, Harry spoke out again.

"Did your gut instinct tell you to leave me with my aunt and uncle?"

"No," said Dumbledore, and Harry could hear the pain in the headmaster's voice. "I didn't follow my instinct then. I followed my logic. Where else would you be safer than under blood wards? Who else could accept you like your family? It was that, and my many feelings with you that have led me to trust my instincts. My heart tells me this is what I must do Harry."

Harry looked up at the headmaster, and saw tears in the gentle eyes behind the half-moon spectacles. Ever since their talk in Dumbledore's office, Harry had been consumed with guilt over the headmaster's suicidal intentions. He'd argued several times with the old wizard ever since his fifth year and while he'd always done what he felt was right, he was now filled with regret. Dumbledore had always been kind to him, his failure in Harry's life not withstanding.

While he didn't like a lot of what the headmaster had done, he did understand it. Harry had wondered more than once if he wouldn't have done the exact same things the headmaster had done, were he in that position. Dumbledore had watched and helped the creation of Voldemort. Why wouldn't he take drastic measures to prevent a second instance of that creation?

For all his failures and for all his shortcomings, Harry couldn't hate the old man. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that Dumbledore had been a guide that had loved him. Maybe he hadn't been a parent, not like Sirius had been, but he had loved Harry sincerely. So, Harry said the only thing that was in his mind.

"I don't want you to die, sir."

At this, Dumbledore smiled softly.

"Harry, I know this is hard for you. It is yet another burden I have unfairly placed upon you, although it is far from the worst. You have had little time understand this. Yet I have had many years to come to terms with my own mortality. I have always understood I may die fighting against Voldemort. My only hope was that I might be able to do some good before I went, and now, I hope that I will be able to do so. Dying to help keep you safe is by far the best choice I have made regarding your life, Harry."

"Thank you, headmaster. Honestly though, I'd rather die to help keep everyone else safe if it would work."

"I know you would, Harry. That is one of the many things that makes you a far better man than I could've hoped you would grow up to be. I admit, all my choices with you would've been much easier if you were a different person. I half-hoped some arrogance would remain in you and you might end up being a pain. Yet you have made my people love you through merely being who you are."

"I don't know about that sir."

"You underestimate the effect you have on people Harry. Miss Greengrass loves you enough to challenge almost everything she has seen in her house and much what the wizarding world believes. She loves you enough to face down abuse and the darkest wizard of the age. Miss Granger has faced additional persecution at the hands of students both in and out of her house because she's allied herself with you, and more than a few people assumed she was a romantic interest of yours."

"Well, Hermione and Daphne are… different, I think."

"Not so. Sirius loved you more deeply than I've seen him love anyone, even James and Lily. He loved you beyond being the son of his best friend. He loved you for who you were and what he saw in you. Remus and Tonks I believe see much of the same in you. I personally have spent more night than I might count speaking to Hagrid and Professor McGonagall about their concerns for you. I have received hundreds of owls from the Weasley, Greengrass, Longbottom and even the Bones families offering a place for you during the summer or looking for assurance that you were in good health."

"I… I don't know what to say to that sir."

"Mr. Ronald Weasley has spent two years doing all he could to prove himself to you, along with Mr. Longbottom and Miss Davis. You have united students from all four houses so they could learn to fight and resist Voldemort and his death eaters. Harry I say without hyperbole that I have never seen and never expected to see a student rise to such occasions as this with so much success. The house rivalry is legendary and particularly between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and yet you and Miss Greengrass have all but abolished it. Slytherin has no longer become the outcast house of liars and manipulators that they were once seen as… students like Mr. Malfoy not withstanding."

"I've… I just did what I thought was right, sir."

"And that is all I hope you ever do, Harry. Now, if you would kindly disarm me; I believe I hear two sets of feet approaching us. I believe you are required to stay within fifteen feet."

Harry did as he asked, stuffing both wands under the cloak and hiding behind a pillar of the astronomy tower. He wouldn't watch, but he couldn't stop himself from hearing. Malfoy and Snape burst from the door, wands drawn.

They spoke in hushed, and angry tones, while the headmaster responded in his usual calm voice. He offered no resistance or argument against Malfoy. Harry stuffed his fingers in his ears and yet he couldn't stop himself from hearing as Snape softly called out the spell.

"Avada Kadavra."

He had his eyes screwed up tight, and yet he could clearly see the flash of green light from behind his eyelids, and he could see Dumbledore falling backwards off the tower in his mind's eye. Despite everything that had happened, all the deceit and all the yelling and the arguing, Harry wept softly, rocking back and forth as he felt a soft presence of magic envelope him, almost like a hug.

He waited for almost a full minute after he heard Malfoy and Snape leave the tower before climbing down the stairs himself. It was complete confusion. People seemed to realize that there was something wrong, but nobody knew what it was. Several of the prefects and teachers were trying to corral students towards the great hall, and Harry joined the throng of Gryffindor students before pulling off the invisibility cloak and stuffing it in his bag.

"Harry!" Hermione breathed sharply. "We were so worried! Is… Did it…"

"He's gone," Harry said softly, not wanting to say anything more just yet.

Ron made a weird grimace while Harry could see tears forming in Hermione's eyes.

"Snape and Malfoy left," said Ron grimly. "Ran out the front door while everyone was trying to figure out what happened."

They entered the hall and Harry found Daphne with Tracey, Neville and Astoria, all of whom stood huddled together, whispering. They were far from the only group to be doing so. Most of the student body seemed to be huddled in groups and wondering what had happened. Harry, Ron and Hermione joined them.

Tracey looked questioningly at them and Harry nodded softly.

"It's done," said Ron.

Daphne, without a word reached into Harry's bag and her searching hand found the cloak. Without a word, she pulled it out and draped it over the two of them and pulled him to a corner of the room, and held him while he cried.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said. "I know you didn't want this."

"I don't want a lot of things," Harry said, his voice shaking slightly. "But they all happen anyway. He knew what it would be though. He even smiled… like it was a happy moment."

"Maybe it was?" Daphne suggested. "Maybe he just sort of… accepted it? Didn't he once tell you that death might be like going to bed at the end of a very long day?"

Harry gritted his teeth, thinking of his parents, and Sirius. Still, his pain wasn't due to her and the fact was the Dumbledore had looked more content in the moment of his own death than anyone else Harry had seen die.

"So what's our plan?" he asked her. "What happens now?"

"Well," she said, and Harry could tell she was struggling to collect her thoughts. "For now, we rest. We get… we find peace with this, and then we'll go back to your aunt and uncle's for a couple weeks… Then, I suppose we have a… um…"

"Our wedding," Harry finished for her, kissing her on the forehead.

It seemed slightly calloused to talk about marriage at that moment, but talking about the future… about something happy… it helped. It reminded him that good things could still happen, even when things seemed dark.

"Right," she said, seeming relieved that he wasn't put off or upset. "Right. Then I suppose we try and finish things with Voldemort. Just yourself, the snake and him… right?"

"Exactly… Daphne… If this… if our plan for me doesn't work out, what will happen with Voldemort."

"Harry," she said solemnly. "If you… If we can't save you, I will raise every supporter I can, and shatter his snake and his body into a thousand pieces myself. I promise."

He reached out and grasped her hand, running his thumb softly over the back of her hand, feeling every vein and knuckle that he passed.

"I don't think you'll have to," he said softly. "I don't think it will come down to that. There's… I don't really know how to explain it. If it didn't come down to him and me, it wouldn't feel right, you know? It would just seem wrong if it wasn't he and I in the end. We've always been opposite pillars of one another, even if we sort of started from the same place."

Daphne shook softly next to him and Harry saw tears falling freely and pooling on her robes and the stone floor beneath them.

"I… I don't know what to do," she said, still shaking. "I've always—always known what I should do, but now… nothing's right! I don't know what the best way forward is. I don't even know if there is a best way forward!"

Harry took her hand and held it against his chest, right over his beating heart.

"I can't tell you what's going to happen," he said softly. "I can't tell you if I will defeat Voldemort or is everything's going to work out in the end. All I can do is to do my best in the moment, and keep hope."

"I want to be there," she said, kissing him quickly. "When it happens… one way or another, I want to be with you."

"I don't suppose it matters if I beg you not to go?"

"Of course it matters," she said. "It'll break my heart, Harry. I'm your wife… or will be in a few months' time. But I'm asking you not to cut me out. I'm asking you, begging you, to let me stand beside you. It's the height of everything and I can't stand just being on the sidelines just hoping that you come back."

"Daphne, I will be terrified if you're there… I'll be terrified regardless, but I can't stand putting you in danger."

She looked him in the eye and he saw her determined steely gaze.

"I am to be your wife, which means we face things… together. Life is hard, Harry Potter, even without dark lords. I don't want to marry you to be protected. I want to marry you to live our lives together, short or long as they may end up being."

Harry look at her, and unable to speak, he nodded.


	38. A Happy Day

Chapter 38: A Happy Day

Harry nervously attempted to flatten his hair for the dozenth time in the past half-hour with no more success than he'd had the first time he'd tried it. His hair simply was at it always was: all over the place.

Hermione reached over his shoulders and straightened his tie, smiling softly at his fidgeting.

"You're worrying too much," she said quietly. "You look fantastic Harry. Besides, Daphne's been as excited as I've ever seen her this past month."

Harry gave a shaky laugh and pushed his glasses up on his nose.

"I guess I'm just nervous. I mean, this is a big day even if we really _are_ safe here."

Their wedding was held in the Greengrass Manor grounds, but Harry couldn't help looking around, as if a hoard of storm clouds and death eaters would come for them at any second. However, he was not the only one on watch. Several of the members of the Order of the Phoenix as well as Professor Flitwick and the Weasleys had their wands within easy reach and were keeping a keen eye on their surroundings.

Still, when he wasn't worrying about Voldemort or his followers, Harry felt the pressures of his wedding day. His dress robes were white, with a Slytherin green vest. That had been his idea. They both agreed to wear a bit of something containing each other's house color, as it would help promote the idea of unifying them against Voldemort. Luckily, Daphne had loved the idea, and agreed to it within seconds.

"Harry," said Hermione turning him around so he was looking into her brown eyes. "You just have to worry about _one_ thing today. Are you sure you want to marry Daphne?"

Harry looked at her, and a sort of resolution gripped him.

"Absolutely."

Hermione smiled brightly.

"Good, then you let us worry about everything else."

"Thanks for agreeing to do this Hermione. I know it's a bit… weird."

"Well," Hermione said, moving away from him and tiding up her own dress. "I admit the idea of having a girl as your best man is fair unorthodox, but you've never been very conventional, Harry."

Harry had spent more time than he would've thought trying to decide on his best man. However he considered it, he figured that his best man should be someone who had always been there for him and was his best friend… beside Daphne. Hermione was really the only person who fulfilled that idea. She'd risen to the occasion fairly well. Although the Weasley twins had kidnapped him for a stag night that was loud enough to annoy several people into the night.

"You've always been there for me," he said, smiling at her. "Even when I was right prat. I'd have been dead a long time ago if it wasn't for you."

"And I'd have been dead to a troll and friendless without you, Harry. I'd walk through hellfire with you if you asked me to. It's the least I could do to stand next to you at your wedding."

He smiled and nodded.

"How's Ron taking it?"

"Not too bad," said Hermione. "He said that he understood, although he was a little quiet at breakfast this morning. Still, he's not sulking in the corner to being rude to anyone. So, honestly that's pretty good."

Harry nodded again and gave himself one last look in the mirror.

His reflection suddenly spoke, saying, "You'd best get on with it, dear."

Harry double-checked that his wand was safe in his holster at his side and both he and Hermione walked to their places at the altar, where professor McGonagall had agreed to preform the ceremony. She gave Harry the smallest of smiles and nodded to him and they took their places.

Astoria and Tracey, Daphne's bridesmaids were already in place and as Harry looked at them, Astoria looked into his eyes and smiled, nodding gently. Harry nodded back, and silently hoped that his heartbeat wasn't actually visible through his jacket, despite how hard it was pounding. Suddenly, the musicians began to play their instruments and Harry eager looked back towards the entrance arc.

Daphne walked slowly down towards him, clothed in an ornate white dress with a Gryffindor red sash tied around her waist. Her arm was looped around her father's, who was looking down at his daughter and Harry could tell the man pleased for his child in a way only a parent can be.

For a moment, less than a second, he wondered if Sirius would've had that same look on his face if he were able to be there.

 _He'd probably be hooting and causing a mess of things on purpose,_ Harry thought before bringing himself back to the present moment.

As Daphne and her father reached him, he smiled softly at Daphne before offering her hand to Harry, who took it, hoping desperately that he wasn't sweating much. Hermione and Tracey moved towards them and looped a ribbon around their intertwined hands.

"Ladies and Gentleman," Mcgonagall said, loud enough for her voice to carry across the entire crowd easily. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls."

Harry smiled gently at Daphne and he saw her return it as she squeezed his hand for a split-second. He could hear several cameras going off, but he paid them no attention. He wasn't here today for them or for the crowd. He was here today for Daphne, the beautiful blonde woman who had been through more than almost anyone their age just to be with him.

He could still recall that day when she had sat beside him at the great lake, as if she'd had no concern in the world. Somehow, that hadn't really been lost, even through all the trouble they found themselves surrounded by. Sure, they had long nights and discussions discussing plans and ideas and concerns. But there were times when she was just looking for him, and she would sit beside him, as she always had. She would take his hand or lay her head on his shoulder and for just that moment, there would be no concern for either of them.

She'd also stood up to a greater danger than he'd thought would ever exist in his lifetime. She hadn't offered to go fight Voldemort with him, she'd insisted. He reminded himself that she _was_ always determined to get what she wanted. It was the Slytherin in her.

"Harry James," Mcgonagall said, her ghost of a smile still on her features. "Do you take Daphne Melinda as your wife?"

"I do, now and always," Harry said hearing the words echo through his own being.

"And do you Daphne Melinda take Harry James as your husband?"

"I do, now and always," Daphne said looking right into his eyes with her sky blue ones.

"Then I pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Potter, you may kiss the bride."

Harry leaned forward and met Daphne halfway between the two of them and the crowd around them exploded into cheers and clapping. Harry felt as if everything he'd ever wanted had come all at once.

Family…

She was his family. The word that he'd had little use for his entire life now had a person to attach to it. She wasn't just his love, and even more than his wife, she was his family. He knew, then and there that he would do anything he could to take care of his family. He would fight against the turning of the world if that was what it took. He loved her and would love their children the same.

It wasn't a plan, or even an idea for him. It was just a state of being… an understanding that he'd never really known could exist. Music began to swell and Daphne led him to the dance floor as they began to twirl around each other, much as they had for the Yule Ball, although by now they were far more attached to each other.

"Do you ever consider what it would be like if we hadn't met?" he asked softly as they spun around.

"No," she said, smiling. "This… This is right, Harry Potter. I won't credit any other possibility by giving it thought."

He smiled too, and kissed her forehead quickly.

"I can't but agree, Mrs. Potter."

Daphne gave a soft shiver in pleasure and buried her face in his chest, as they were joined by other couples and soon they were lost in a crowd of friends and family and Harry couldn't help but think that this was the most perfect day that had ever existed.

After some time on the floor Daphne's father came over to dance with her, and Harry gratefully took the moment to rest and sit on a bench and sip at some water while his giddy brain drank in the scenery. He felt more than heard Mcgonagall sit next to him.

"I have to say, Mr. Potter. In all my years having taught at Hogwarts, I never would've expected there would be such a couple as you and Miss Green—Well, Mrs. Potter, I suppose. Even if someone had asked me what Slytherin and Gryffindor might break the house rivalry, I wouldn't have thought it was you two. Yet, in all that, I don't know how often I've seen such a good couple who support each other. Honestly, I think you two are even better for one another than your parents were, and everyone always talked about how great they were together."

"Thank you professor," said Harry. "I didn't think I'd see the day you'd approve a student relationship or preform the ceremony at a wedding."

He turned and looked at her, and to his surprise saw a fully-formed grin on the older woman's face.

"Yes," she said slyly. "Well, I suppose when I see as much of a student as I saw of you, Weasley and Granger, I cannot help but become hopeful about your futures. You do tend to grow on people, Mr. Potter."

"Professor," he said softly. "Thank you… for… well, everything. You weren't always the… um… warmest person, I guess. Still you were always fair and I am grateful to have had you as my head of house."

He looked back towards the dancers, and if he didn't know better, he would've sworn Mcgonagall wiped a tear out of her eye.

"Have you two… Do you have a plan for the…"

"Horcrux? Yeah… well, a few plans. Hopefully one works. Still, if things don't work out, if this was it… that would be alright. I wouldn't complain, even though I'm hoping I have a few decades left in me."

"As are we all, Mr. Potter."

She stood, straightened her green robes and moved over to were the refreshments were being served. No sooner had she left than Mrs. Weasley came to him and hugged him tight enough to almost suffocate him.

"Oh Harry, dear!" she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "It's such a beautiful wedding dear. I admit I was skeptical at first, but she really does seem quite alright, doesn't she?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Mrs. Weasley's description.

"Well, yes," he said, sipping more water. "I'd like to think my wife is alright."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, turning pink. "I mean, well of course I didn't think that—I just mean to say that I…"

"I know what you meant Mrs. Weasley, and thank you. Honestly, I'm grateful to you and Mr. Weasley. You two have never once hesitated to take me in. I don't know if I ever said it to you, but in my fifth year, when you and… S-Sirius were talking; you said I was as good as your son."

"Oh dear… I never meant to…"

"I can't tell you how much that meant to me, Mrs. Weasley. I'm not sure I have it quite right, but I'm learning what it means to be family and you and Mr. Weasley were the closest I had to any family for a very long time. I'll never forget that. Thank you."

She hugged him again.

"Of course dear. Oh, I believe your wife is heading this way. I'll leave you to talk."

Daphne did indeed sit beside him and kissed his cheek.

"This is quite lovely, isn't it?" she said. "I think being married is going to agree with me."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, chuckling sightly.

"So what do we do now?" she asked, growing more serious.

"Now," said Harry, looking to the sky. "We end Voldemort… together. Then, we… well, we're a family after that, I suppose."

"That," said Daphne putting her head on his shoulder. "Sounds far more crazy and chaotic than any _happily ever after._ I can't wait to experience it with you my husband."


	39. The Walk

Chapter 39: The Walk

Harry walked down the long, dark hallway of the department of mysteries, hand-in-hand with his wife. It was still an odd thought to him, but no less pleasant than it had been in the month since their wedding. Both knew they were putting off this day. They'd spent everyday since the wedding together, living in Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Although that was not to say that they hadn't traveled. Daphne insisted he need to see something other than a war and he traveled to France, and they spent nearly a week on the beach. It was wonderful and he'd never been to a real beach before. Of course, spending time with Daphne in the french sun was lovely too. Still both of them knew that their life there was on stolen time and that everyday they spent in the sand was a day Voldemort was building up power.

So when he could no longer shake the feeling of responsibility, he and his friends decided to handle the horcrux problem. He bore several odd goblin runes that had been painted on his back in blood. He honestly couldn't make heads or tails of them, but according to Ragnok and Daphne they would help separate the two beings in his head.

He stood before the veil and could've sworn he heard soft whispering coming from it.

"Harry," said Ron softly, moving in front of Astoria. "Are you sure about this, mate?"

"No," said Harry, honestly. "But it's the best shot we have, and I can't do nothing, can I?"

Daphne squeezed his hand and he knew she was being brave for his sake. Astoria walked up to him and hugged him briefly.

"You're an insufferable Gryffindor," she whispered to him. "But you're good for my sister and as far as a brother-in-law… Well, we could do far worse."

Harry smiled softly at her.

"You're rather adequate yourself."

He stood looking at Hermione, Ron, Daphne, Tracey, Neville and Astoria. Behind them stood the Weasleys, Daphne's parents, Lupin, Tonks and Mcgonagall.

"Thank you all," he said softly.

"Thank _you,_ Harry," said Lupin, staring at the floor.

Harry felt there was a million more words he ought to say and there were a thousand things he wanted to convey, but he knew that if he didn't do this now, he never would have the courage to do it. So, smiling, he saluted them and turned to veil.

"See you all in a moment," he said, and leapt into the shifting white vapor.

* * *

Daphne watched as her husband leapt into the veil and in a moment, she felt as if her heart had gone with him. Her world felt like it had half-shattered in that moment. She knew they'd done all they could, but she'd never been more scared for him; not when he'd fought a dragon, not when he'd overcome mermen or even when he'd escaped Voldemort. Somehow, him willingly leaping into a veil of death was… so much worse.

"He'll be alright," said Ron. "He's been through more dangerous stuff than this."

"Just for the hell of it," she began, not looking at the redhead. "When exactly has he done something more dangerous than this?"

"Well," said Ron, struggling. "I… I don't know. But he's Harry. He'll be alright. He's… he's the chosen one and everything."

She didn't respond. She knew he was just saying this to make her feel better, but his words fell on deaf ears. She wanted nothing so desperately as she wanted to leap into the veil after him, just to be with him wherever he might be, but she'd promised him.

He'd made a promise to her too, to come back. She knew he would never break that promise either. He would come back… He _had_ to. However, the minutes were slowly trickling by, and Harry didn't reappear. Then it had been a half-hour, and then a full hour. She looked to Hermione and the two of the shared a nervous glance. She was about to say something when there was a noise like a cannon.

 _BOOM!_

Something like an explosion went off in the far hall, and they all whipped out their wands, taking cover and looking towards the doorway.

 _BOOM!_

The door blasted off its hinges to skidded across the floor and dozens of black-cloaked beings came flooding into the room. She didn't know exactly how, but they had been tracked here. Spells were fired off in every direction and Daphne let her training take over.

She took aim and fired off two stunners, both hitting the death eater square in the chest.

"Nice shot!" Tracey called, diving behind an overturned table and disarming another foe.

Then Daphne heard a voice that she'd never heard before, yet she knew instantly who it was.

"Leave the boy!" shouted the high-pitched voice that could belong to Voldemort. "Kill the others, but Potter is _mine_!"

What disturbed Daphne was how truly unhinged the dark wizard appeared to be. His eyes were completely bloodshot, looking more like wounds than actual eyes. His robes were frayed and ripped in several places and his skin seemed to be flaking and more ash than pale skin. Daphne turned her attention to the flow of wizards who were coming into the room behind Voldemort and saw Draco Malfoy among them.

Her blood grew hot and she slung a curse at him, but he dodged at the last moment. Draco hardly seemed to be fairing any better than his lord. Clearly his time since Dumbledore's death had been even harder on his than the year leading up to it. Draco was almost pure white and very thin, reminding Daphne of how Harry had seemed so malnourished back in their first year.

He didn't return her attack, rather he moved quickly to a corner of the room and crouched down to hide.

As much as she wanted to chase him down, there were too many people in the room and curses were running back and forth, causing utter chaos. She and Tracey worked well together, as they always had and managed to bring down more than a few of the death eaters. The Order of the Phoenix were all proving fairly dangerous in their own right. Professor Mcgonagall was practically dangerous, slinging around jinxes with a speed and skill that she'd never displayed during their schooling years.

Hermione, Ron and Astoria had paired up, covering each other and using three pillars to get different angles of attack. She would've applauded the idea which was, no doubt, Hermione's, if she were so busy herself. While she couldn't count them all, Daphne figured the death eaters likely had a few more bodies on their side, but those who had chosen to stand with Harry were far better fighters, and always seemed to be able to just avoid the curses and jinxes of the death eaters.

Daphne saw Macnair move towards where Ron was hiding and caught him the back with a silent stunner. Just as she smiled at her own success, she saw something that made her heart stop for a moment. Voldemort had torn through the room, presumably in search of Harry, and unable to find him, he turned his wand towards Astoria.

Daphne stood and sprinted towards her sister, but she couldn't get an angle to block or intercept the attack.

"Avada Ka—"

"Expelliarmus!"

Voldemort's wand flew from his grasp, but Astoria hadn't spoken. Confused, Daphne looked around and saw that it was actually Draco of all people who had disarmed the dark lord. The look in the wizard's eyes was positively murderous and Daphne saw that the Malfoy heir stared defiantly back at him covering his lord with a wand. It didn't appear to stopping Voldemort though, who advanced on Draco, who was apparently too nervous to actually cast another spell.

Then there was even more confusion and Daphne turned to look at the door where Severus Snape had come through, stunning and downing death eaters, none of whom seemed to understand what was going on until it was too late. Daphne was too shocked to react, but her eyes caught something else at Snape's belt. It was a sword handle adorned with rubies. It was the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Snape looked up and for a split-second their eyes locked and he pulled the sword from his belt and tossed it high in the air right in her direction. More out of reaction than choice, she caught it, staring confused at the black-cloaked man. Before she could question him, or even really processed what had just happened, she saw him mouth two words to her.

 _The snake._

She looked down at the blade, and the understanding clicked in her brain. She could do this, _would_ do this. She had to, because it was the best chance she had to saving her husband.

* * *

Harry looked around, confused and feeling that was in one of the most peaceful places he'd ever been. Everything was still and peaceful. He didn't know where he was, or rather it might've been easier to say that he was nowhere… It was pure white and empty. It reminded him of the snow that would cover the Hogwarts grounds during the wintertime.

"I was wondering how you'd do it," said a voice behind him.

Harry spun around and saw Voldemort standing before him, dressed in long, black robes with green accents. He looked very like the Voldemort that Harry knew from his forth year, but there were a few differences. The face was slightly more human, particularly in the nose and eyes. He was still hairless, but the skin was merely pale instead of white.

It took him a moment, but he realized that this was the version of Voldemort that had attacked him at Godric's Hallow.

"Bit rude to hitch a ride in someone's head, I would think," Harry said, pulling up his mental shields. "And through a cursed scar, no less. Imagine what your dear daddy would say."

"Well I suppose we don't all have the perfect parenthood that you had, do we Harry?"

Harry felt a flash of anger, but repelled it, and focused on the being before him. He really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. This was, as Daphne had said, uncharted territory. He could feel he had no wand on him and he doubted that Voldemort was much better at fighting hand-to-hand than he was.

"You know it doesn't have to end in a fight," Voldemort said. "You could still join me, let me in and save your friends lives."

"Yet if I defeat you I save hundreds of others and prevent a tyrannical reign that would ruin our standing in the world for all time. I'll take that shot."

"Worth the offer," said the pale wizard, almost wistfully. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Harry asked, dully.

"This is a battle of wills, Harry. Either you or I will come out the veil, not both. You're going to feel the entire weight of my will and I will feel what you have within you. When you come out the other side, one of us will be gone, lost in the veil of death."

"And you're sure that you'll win?"

"I am," said Voldemort, grinning. "I have sacrificed everything for my goal, Harry Potter. I bent the wizarding world over and tore my soul in pieces to get what I want, and I have embraced magics you and your hero Dumbledore would never touch. I _am_ will."

"You're a scared little boy who blames the entire world because he got beat by his father. So, you lashed out the world and want to punish it instead of fixing it. You think you have will but you're just bowing to everyone else's will."

Voldemort reached out and latched onto Harry's face and their souls intertwined with one another, pushing and pulling in a battle for dominance.

* * *

It could've been half a day or it could've been ten minutes, he had no idea. Still he came stumbling out of the veil and felt through his mind for a minute. He was Harry. He was still everything that had made him Harry Potter, yet there was a difference. His mind was clearer than it ever been. It reminded him of the peace of the veil. Smiling softly he looked around and realized there was the remains of a battle around him.

He turned and saw several of his friends as well as the death eaters had paused, unsure of what to expect as he came out of the veil. He kept looking around and saw Daphne, one hand on her wand and the other on the handle of Gryffindor's sword, which was sticking out of the top of the head of the giant snake, Nagini.

Then, there was a howl of rage and Harry could hear the voice of Voldemort cry out, "Avada Kadavra!"

He expected the spell to head for him and was prepared to leap aside, but he realized far too late that Voldemort hadn't aimed at him. He'd aimed for Daphne, and she was looking at him, unable to know what was heading directly for her.

He screamed, begging her to know what the sound meant. However, it didn't matter, the jet of green light hit her square in the back, and she hit the floor, motionless.


	40. The End

Chapter 40: The End

Harry felt his world slow to a near stop as Daphne hit the floor. He couldn't hear anything around him because of the blood rushing through his ears. In that moment he had only one goal, and it was to destroy the person who had just killed his wife.

He flew forward, screaming and Voldemort took a long moment to react.

"Avada Kadavra!"

Harry saw the jet of light head towards him, but reacted instinctively.

"Accio!" he said, pointing his wand at the remains of Nagini.

The snake's body flew towards his wand and Harry caught the handle of the sword the was implanted in the beast's head. No one else moved around the two of them, as if too enchanted to do anything more than watch.

Harry twisted his hand, ripping the sword from the snake as Voldemort's curse hit the already dead being. Voldemort tried to back up, but Harry was on him in a mere second and with a swift swing, aimed to cleave the wizard's head open. However, the dark lord ducked under Harry's blow and took aim again.

"Crucio!" he shouted and Harry felt the curse connect with his chest where his heart lay.

The pain flew through him, blinding him with the white hot stabbing curse. However, in his rage, and in the pain that was already in him at the loss of his other half, the pain was almost like an old friend and he swung out again. He even was able to use the pain to power his attack and this time, he felt himself connect with something solid and there was a scream as the pain lifted from him.

It took several long seconds for his vision to return to him, but when it did, Harry saw that the thing he'd was Voldemort's wand arm. The goblin-made blade had cut through the dark wizard's arm as if it were merely cloth instead of flesh and bone. Voldemort howled, holding the bleeding stump as he tried to refocus himself.

Harry merely walked forward and was overcome with a thought that he found almost humorous. He reached forward and latched onto the black robes around Voldemort's form, dragging the pale being towards the veil. Voldemort saw what Harry intended to do, but at the prodding of the sword was powerless to stop him.

Once Harry had him before the veil, Voldemort collapsed onto his knees before Harry, and he reached for him with his remaining hand. In that moment, and only that moment, he looked more like Tom Riddle than Harry had ever seen him. For a moment, he saw the same thing Dumbledore must've seen when he'd met Voldemort so long ago. He saw a scared boy desperate to hold onto the magical world, no matter what that took. In a strange way, and in a form to distant to really acknowledge until several years had passed, Harry pitied him. However, the moment passed and Harry once again saw the man who had killed his wife.

"Harry!" he called out. "You don't have to do this. Kill me if you must, but not like this."

"You killed my wife," Harry said steadily, letting the words ring out for a moment. "Your death eater killed Sirius. You killed Cedric. You killed my parents. You've tormented and killed so many people, and you aim to hurt even more. I don't know exactly what awaits you within the veil, but whatever it is, it's better than you deserve."

And with a powerful soccer-kick to the man's face, Harry sent Voldemort backwards, head-first, into the wispy veil. It took almost a full moment before another sound was heard in the room. It was a wooden clatter and Harry looked over to see that Macnair had dropped his wand in surrender. Several other wands followed and Harry moved through the crowd, taking note of the battle.

Surprisingly, none of theirs, aside from Daphne, were dead, although most were injured. Ron was missing an eye and Lupin appeared have suffered a bad cutting curse that had separated most of his left arm as he leaned on Tonks. Still, it seemed as if they were mostly alive. The same could not be said of all the death eaters. Harry counted eight dead and several permanently injured, not that anyone in much of a rush to help them.

He reached his wife's form and dropped the sword to bend down and pick her up, only to stop. To his complete and utter shock, she was breathing. It was shallow, but certainly present. Half-excited, half-terrified, he pressed two fingers to her neck, and sure enough, there was a pulse.

He looked down and his gaze met her ice blue eyes.

"D-Daphne?"

"Hey there," she said, smiling weakly. "I guess we won then?"

"How… How are you… I saw…"

"You died for me," she said, still sounding rather weak. "You loved me enough to die for me… for everyone here, Harry. Voldemort never did learn or understand love."

"I… I was sure you were dead."

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it was fair to have you be the only one who survived the killing curse. I mean, what sort of wife can't match her husband's constitution?"

Harry laughed despite himself and kissed her softly, feeling as if the world had been split in half and somehow knit itself back together.

He helped her to her feet, draping her right arm over his shoulders.

"So, is it all over now?" she asked so quietly he almost didn't hear her.

"No," he said, firmly. "Things are just beginning. There's still some afterwork to get straight, but there's time for that later. For now, I want to bring you home and sit in front of the fireplace ignoring everyone else in the world for at least a few days."

Daphne chuckled, although it sounded more like a wheeze.

"Well husband mine, that sounds like a positively wonderful idea."

* * *

Over the next few weeks things were almost more hectic than when Voldemort had been alive. Snape had given him some of the hardest news to accept, revealing his love for Lily after several years, and his promise to Dumbledore to protect Harry. Still, as Harry saw it, and expressed to Snape, he'd fulfilled his word and was free to leave it at that. The greasy-haired man seemed content at that and vanished without another word.

Harry also had a hard time deciding what to do with Malfoy. At first it seemed like a great plan to send him to Azkaban, but then Daphne revealed that he'd saved Astoria's life. He hadn't ever actually killed anyone and in the end it was decided it would be released into Astoria's care. After weeks of talking to politicians and reporters, things started to return to normal. It was actually a small shock to him when September 1st rolled around and an owl dropped off two letters for Hogwarts enrollment.

"Well, do you think we should finish out our education?" Daphne asked him. "I mean, we do have the whole, 'saved the entire world' feather in our cap now."

"Hogwarts will always be my first home," Harry said. "I think it'll be nice to have a year where everything is… Well, normal."

Daphne kissed him on the nose, and laughed softly.

"Oh yes," she said, jokingly. "The savior of the entire world and his young wife return to finish out their school year with war heroes and their peers alike. Perfectly normal, my love."

"Point taken," said Harry, as he sent the owls away confirming their attendance. "Still, was there ever actually a chance we weren't going back?"

"Not even a slight chance. I think I'll rather enjoy getting to show off my husband to the rest of the school."

"Is that so? And here I thought I was the one who married up."

Daphne rolled her eyes at him and reached over, pouring herself another cup of tea, and for the next school year, Harry Potter was as close to normal as he had ever been.

The End

* * *

A/N: Come on now, you all didn't actually believe I was going to let Daphne die on Harry did you? I like nice endings and this is at the end of the day a romantic story, not a a tragedy. There's still an epilogue to come, but I just wanted to take this time to say thank you all so much for the reviews and support. I truly never had a clue what I was doing with this. Next to none of it was planned out and I was making about 95% of it up as I went along, because I just wrote this help cure my writer's block for original works.

Still, I'm glad there are people out there that are enjoying this story and I thank those who took the time to show appreciation and not throw a hissy fit when something didn't go how they might want it to. In the end I never really like writing FanFiction because it just becomes work that never truly satisfies like an original work does. Still, I honestly wouldn't have finished this without your support, and I mean that. I did walk away from this half-way through and was content to leave it there, but the kind reviews eventually won me over and now we're very nearly done.

So, from me and all authors to the reviewers and those who love and even helpfully critique the tales we tell,

thanks.

HR


	41. Epilogue

Epilogue:

20 Years Later:

The fog around King's Cross station almost clouded his gaze entirely. Even so it was impossible to miss the scarlet-colored steam train that led to Hogwarts. Harry couldn't help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia as a young girl with his jet-black hair and Daphne's ice blue eyes grabbed his hand, tugging on it insistently.

"Dad," she whispered, still pulling on his hand.

Harry smiled at his youngest child and knelt so she could talk to him. Lily had always been very quiet and reserved, reminding Harry of himself before Hogwarts, although without the years of abuse. In fact, he'd done his very best to find the perfect middle point between his and Dudley's upbringings. Lily was their only girl, and was also the most internally focused of their children. She loved reading and soon Daphne had a fan in the form of her daughter. Lily read everything Daphne wrote, and would often discuss the points of the stories with her mother for hours at a time.

Orion was their eldest child, already thirteen and as excited as anyone to explore the school. Harry had received a few letters from Headmistress Mcgonagall that his son had taken to exploring around the castle at night, and had managed to find the entrance to the kitchens in his second year. It appeared that over the years Mcgonagall had taken a page from Dumbledore's book, as she found this more endearing than dangerous or deserving of punishment. He had dirty blonde hair that hung into his emerald eyes.

His middle child, Cyrus was named for Daphne's father, who had fallen to a heart attack when they were twenty. Cyrus was just entering his first year and while he had Daphne's hair and eyes, he had also needed glasses. He also was very like Daphne in attitude, dignified and fierce when needed. Harry had heard, more than once, the tale of Cyrus leaping onto a boy that was picking on his brother, and was at least twice his side.

Harry felt that Cyrus would go to Gryffindor if that story had any factor in it. Although he could see the boy taking a Slytherin seat almost as easily. Thanks to Daphne and himself, and to a lesser degree Tracey and Neville; the long-held animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor was all but abolished.

"What is it, Lily-flower?" he asked his child.

She pointed to a trunk on the ground, which Harry immediately recognized as belonging to Orion, who was sprinting towards a group of his friends.

"Orion-James!" called Daphne, using what Harry had dubbed the mom voice. "You get back here and grab your trunk now!"

Despite himself, Harry chuckled.

"I'm afraid you're doomed to have to watch your brothers for your life, Lily."

"The cost of being the only girl," said Lily, smiling softly at him.

Harry winked at her as Orion came jogging back to pick up his trunk, and Harry stopped him.

"Dad!" called Orion, exasperated. "My friends are all boarding the train!"

"And you'll have all year with them. But before you leave, take this."

He reached down into the shrunken bag he'd brought and pulled out his old firebolt, which was still one of the finest brooms on the market, although no longer quite top-of-the-line.

"Wow," said Orion reverently. "Dad… really?"

Harry nodded.

"I saw your quidditch matches last year and there's no way I'm letting you be undone as a chaser because you were using a cleansweep. This broom saw me through all sorts of trouble, and it will do right by you."

Orion nodded, taking the broom gingerly.

"Thanks dad."

"Now go, catch your friends."

The blonde boy nodded and jogged off, calling out to them and showing off his father's gift.

"Hey Cyrus," called a small voice, and Harry turned to see who was talking.

He soon recognized Astoria, Draco and their son, Scorpius. It was their son who had spoken, and he'd made good friends with his cousin being the same age as the boy.

"Hello Scorpius," said Harry, briefly hugging the boy before turning to his father. "Brother mine."

"Brother-in-law by marriage," said Malfoy thinly. "Honestly Potter I've not idea why you insist on trying to force a relationship between the two of us. I acknowledge that we are… somewhat related, but we will never get along."

"How do you stand your husband?" Harry asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh he's not so bad when he's not trying to show off," said Astoria, smiling and nudging Draco in the ribs. "Daphne, it's been too long since I've seen you!"

They hugged and Daphne kissed her sister's cheek.

"Yes well, the children are a real handful. I always thought I knew that they were hard to care for, but you really don't know until you have one."

"Too true," said Astoria. "I'm dreading the day Scorpius begins going through puberty."

"Orion's already a pain," said Harry, smiling as he hugged Astoria. "I often wonder why it was Daphne wanted three kids."

"As I recall husband," said Daphne, smirking at him. "You had a fair hand in that as well."

Harry shrugged, before smiling and kissing her on the forehead. It had been two decades since Voldemort and he'd had struggles he'd never imagined since then. He'd spent sleepless nights with crying children. He'd worried over his position in politics and collapsed into his bed more than laid down in it.

It had all been absolutely wonderful and he wouldn't have traded for the world.


End file.
